Nails
by Tacks
Summary: Tohsaka Rin, an ambitious and strong willed young magus of 23, travels to Valencia, Spain, to participate in the Fifth Grail War. There she attempts to summon Saber but instead finds herself in command of...Berserker? For want of a nail...
1. Prologue

_For want of a nail the shoe was lost.  
>For want of a shoe the horse was lost.<br>For want of a horse the rider was lost.  
>For want of a rider the message was lost.<br>For want of a message the battle was lost.  
>For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.<br>And all for the want of a horseshoe nail._

Prologue

The heat was unbearable. All around him it raged, a dull roar muted by the streams of choking black smoke that rampaged through the building like cloudy streams of polluted black water, thick and oily. Each of his senses was assaulted. The building screamed, it groaned a tortured cacophony of crashing timbers and the constant hellish roar of the fire. Dry air hot enough to blister his lungs was all he could suck between coughs, the rest filled with smoke and ash. He could not open his eyes against the heat but even through tightly squeezed eyelids he could see the glow of the inferno. His skin was scorched, saved only from instant immolation by the heavy weight of flesh pushing him down.

_Mother, Father. _

The boy's thoughts were an incoherent mess of terror and agony and horrifying realization. He was going to die. Here. On the floor of this building. He was going to be burned alive, screaming, tortured, and the only thing preventing that fate for another precious heartbeat was the bodies of his parents, thrown atop him by the blast. He trembled and despite the heat tears began to flow down the boy's face. Faced with the awful certainty of his death and the deaths of both people he held dearest he wept.

But fate had other plans for Shirou.

As he hung there on the cusp of life and death surrounded by flames he saw a figure approaching through the smoke. The figure was tall and slender, his movements hurried but controlled. The motions of a man who never rushed, who enjoyed complete confidence in his own prowess, and who could bend that prowess to any task that he set his mind to as easily as an ordinary man would rise from bed. The fire did not seem to phase him and he strode towards where Shirou cowered like a filing drawn to a lodestone.

Shirou was dimly aware of strong arms lifting him before he blacked out.

When he awoke he was outside in the cool night air lying on his back. His vision was blurry from the heat and the smoke but he could see the flashing lights of ambulances and fire trucks and, in the distance, the towering inferno from which he had just been pulled. He coughed and tried to sit up but a gentle hand held him down. He couldn't make out the man's face but he knew, without knowing how, that he was the one who had rescued him. His ravaged throat left him unable to speak but he could overhear voices talking, words and phrases lost to blackness as he teetered on the edge of consciousness.

"Poor thing…only survivor…can't be more than six years old…get him to a hospital…yes sir, right away."

Shirou's deadened senses sharpened suddenly and inexplicably. If the hair had not been burned from his flesh it would have been standing on end. For whatever reason he got the distinct impression that the next words would be very, very important. Important enough to shape the rest of his life.

"Are you the one who pulled him out?"

"Yes, I am."

"Are you the boy's father?"

"I…I will take responsibility for him. His parents were…in there. But I'll take care of him from now on."

"That's fine, but right now I need your signature on a medical release. What is your name?"

"Kirei. Kotomine Kirei."


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Rin craned her neck and pressed her forehead against the cool double paned glass of the small window, her eyes flicking to and fro with nervous intensity as she studied the earth below. Her seats were in first class; obviously, nobody of her pride, bearing, and lineage would stoop to flying coach; and so her view was unimpeded by the massive tapered wedge of the airplane's wing. The ground was a topographical patchwork of fields and forests that gave way rapidly to concrete and asphalt. Buildings grew to tall spires wreathed with glittering traffic and beyond that stretched the deep blue expanse of the Baltic sea.

Because she was coming from a layover in Madrid she was approaching her destination from over land, a direct flight from Japan would have her approaching from the opposite direction. The contrast of the bleached white city against the backdrop of the dark water was jarring and beautiful when viewed from the air. Skyscrapers of glass and stone broke the profile into a jagged and haphazard pile with spindly fingers extending out over the water along the coast. The flecks of fishing boats could be seen on the water, resolving from specks to vessels as the aircraft drew closer. She was still too far away to be able to make out individuals Rin but could see crowds moving through the streets, people milling about on their daily errands unaware of the cosmic magical event that was about to rock their fair city like a meteor strike.

Rin felt like she had been training for this moment her entire life. The chosen daughter of the Tohsaka family, she had always been isolated by the expectations placed on her. A lonely childhood spent training under the strict tutelage of her father had only reinforced that isolation. Always she had been taught to put her magecraft and the future of the Tohsaka family ahead of herself. Hers was a life of duty, of sacrifice.

A hot flash of pride and ambition rose in her breast as she remembered all her training, all her trials, all the sacrifices she had made to be here. To follow in her father's footsteps. And now she had been vindicated. She alone had been selected from all the other magi in her bloodline to represent House Tohsaka in the Grail War. She had been found the most worthy, the smartest, the most powerful. And she expected to win. Rin knew what she had to do. She would summon Saber, the greatest of all the servants, and defeat each and every opponent with the same single minded determination that she had applied to every other facet of her life.

The beauty of the city was lost to Rin as the airplane landed and taxied. Her mind was too preoccupied with musings and strategies. Traditionally the Heaven's Feel was held on the Tohsaka's traditional holdings in Fuyuki City, their fiefdom since ancient times. Why was the grail war being held here, now, in Valencia, Spain? Someone very high up in the Mage's Association had to be pulling the strings. But for what purpose? Fuyuki was a veritable hotbed of magical ley lines, a convergence of mystical energies. The perfect place for a conflict like the War. Why change the location now, after so long? What had happened in the last Grail War that made research on the subject so impossible?

Rin's thoughts balked as they turned to the last Grail War. It had been 17 years ago when she was only six. She had been too young at the time to understand what had happened and, for some reason, all of her research in the intervening years had turned up nothing. The events of the fourth Grail War were a more closely guarded secret within the Mage's Association than the existence of the Association itself to the outside world. All she knew was that her father had lost his life, killed like a dog by some upstart magus who had not even had the strength to claim the Grail when the dust settled. The thought brought bile to her mouth.

The distinctive _ding_ of the seatbelt sign turning off and the general hustle and bustle as the passengers around her began to disembark broke Rin from her dark musings. She pulled her carry on from the overhead compartment and made her way from the plane to the terminal. Most of her bags had been checked. She had no idea how long she would be staying in Valencia and so she had packed heavy, anticipating every eventuality. But the most important cargo she carried with her in a briefcase, a collection of enchanted gemstones that were her key to winning the Grail War. Straightening her dark traveling suit and tucking her briefcase jealously under one arm, she made her way down the short telescoping causeway and into the terminal at large.

To her great surprise there was someone waiting for her next to the disembarkation line. He was wearing a dark chauffer's uniform but there were several glaring incongruities with his general appearance and demeanor that immediately aroused Rin's suspicions. He wasn't all that old, perhaps a year or two older than Rin herself, and he seemed quite unlike any other servant, chauffer or butler that Rin had ever encountered. The Tohsaka family serving staff had a sort of demure but regal deference, men and women who served more out of duty to the family than for any compensation. Other hired help all seemed to have varying degrees of subtle sullen impatience, wage earners who were polite but just wanted to finish with their work and take their leisure.

This man was holding a hastily stenciled sign that said Tohsaka. His clothing was the nondescript black uniform of a driver or chauffer. His hair, cropped short under a black cap with a shiny brim, was an odd shade of light brown or red, almost orange. He stood with neither the indifferent slouch of the wage slave nor the formal rigidity of the professional. Instead he stood with feet apart, back straight, and head high. Everything about him spoke of motion and action; as if he were ready to burst into a sprint at any moment and it would be the most natural occurrence in the world. Somehow his stillness suggested more energy and speed than the slouched and jerky motions of the crowd that milled around him. Rin had to double check to be sure that he was not smiling. Altho his mouth was flat something about his features suggested a grin. Perhaps it was his eyes, something about the way that he scanned the crowd that made it seem as if he were about to burst into laughter. For an instant, irrationally, Rin felt herself hoping that he would.

But then the moment passed and Rin came back to herself. He was just a chauffer. She was Tohsaka Rin, heir to the Tohsaka bloodline, and she would not waste time staring at a rube. Resolutely she marched across the concourse towards him.

"I am Tohsaka Rin." She informed him curtly in Spanish. She had been studying the language since she learned the location of the Grail War and, like any academic subject that she chose to bend to her will, she now had a more than passable command of the language.

"Who sent you to wait for me?" She demanded with the air of someone polling a wristwatch for the time, an owner asking property for a trivial snippet of information.

Being both Japanese and a woman she found herself about level with his breastbone and she looked up at him. He was very tall. Still, Rin had always been a Japanese woman and she had a great deal of experience in that particular state of being. Even from her lower vantage point she gave the distinct impression that she was staring down her nose at him. She gave everybody that impression. Whether it was the inherent haughtiness of the Tohsaka bloodline or Rin's particular brand of fiery intensity had never really been clear to her. The one thing she new was that every time she had held someone to the exacting standards to which she held herself they had come up short.

"Miss Tohsaka? I've been sent by the Von Einzbern estate to drive you from the airport, ma'am." He replied. His words were polite but he spoke with an atrocious accent and something else, some twang or dialect that Rin couldn't quite pin down. Spanish was obviously not his first language and he was obviously not a native of Valencia.

Despite the rough delivery his words surprised Rin. True, she had been planning to stay at a friend's house. She had made the acquaintance if Ilya von Einzbern during the latter's first year as an understudy Mage at the Clocktower. Rin had been something of a mentor to the precocious youngster and was more than a little fond of her. She had obtained permission to stay at the Von Einzbern estate during the war but she had been under the impression that the place would be empty. Who was staying there? And who but Ilya would know of her arrival in Valencia? Could this new development have something to do with the changed location of the War itself? The Tohsaka and Von Einzbern families had long been allies but Rin certainly didn't trust anyone from the family besides Ilya.

She covered her shock with her usual defense mechanism, an icy outward demeanor and an instant attempt to take control of the conversation.

"Very well." She said, not betraying how surprised she was. "Follow me to the baggage claim. You can pick up my bags and then we'll be on our way."

The driver nodded and fell into step behind her as she marched off, her thoughts roiling. She quickly recalculated her plans and decided to go with him, cautiously, always ready to unleash devastating magic and escape if any foul play was forthcoming.

Rin stood off to the side as he picked up her bags, tucking the smaller one under one arm and then holding the two others by the handles. She almost told him to get a cart but refrained when she saw that he was handling the load without visible strain. He must be uncommonly strong, and Rin resolved to watch him even more carefully.

Rin continued to scheme as she followed him to his car. She watched with the same air of demanding scrutiny that she applied to every aspect of her life as he loaded her baggage into the trunk and then opened one of the rear doors for her. On a hunch she turned to him before ducking into the dark sedan.

"Thank you." She said in English.

"Why, you're welcome, ma'am." He replied in the same language.

He hadn't noticed her subtle play and that told her something about him. She was also able to place the mysterious twang to his words. In English he had what Rin had come to think of from movies as the 'cowboy accent'. Apparently he was an American and originating somewhere in the region of Texas. All of Rin's senses were in overdrive and her mind was filled with cautious misgivings as they began to drive towards their destination. Rin didn't know what the Grail War held for her but the recent developments had put her on the defensive. And Rin hated not having the upper hand.


	3. Chapter 2

Within minutes they were away from the airport and on their way to Old Valencia, the stately historic district filled with museums, chic cafés, and the sprawling mansions of the obscenely wealthy. As they drove Rin carefully absorbed their surroundings. From her vantage point in the back of a single car on a single street in the massive city she couldn't tell where she was or where they were going. What she could do was get a feel for the architecture, the bustling crowds, and the feel of the city.

Like many urban European population centers Valencia was an incongruous mix of urbane modernity and evocative antiquity. A round edged convenience store the shape of a giant iPod stood next to the fluted spires and gargoyles of a medieval church. Tall buildings of glass and steel surrounded squares dominated by statuesque stone fountains. The roads had the narrow, twisting, serpentine quality of a city that was paved long before the automobile ever graced its streets. It would have been charming and fascinating if not for the tension of the task at hand.

Despite the sights of the city around her Rin felt her eyes being drawn again and again to the driver. The back of his head was impossible to read but she could see his eyes in the rear view mirror. They scanned the streets, his thick brows relaxed as he guided them safely through the brisk afternoon traffic. It suddenly struck Rin what a blind act of faith it was to allow a complete stranger to guide a steel box at sixty miles an hour through oncoming traffic with her strapped into the back. It bothered her how little that bothered her. If she felt this safe with someone she didn't know was she losing her edge? Her suspicion?

Without realizing what she was doing Rin found herself staring at the driver as she worried. He glanced up and caught her gaze. Her first instinct was to jerk her eyes away. Instead she forced herself to stare at him, her brow furrowing, determined not to look away first. The driver broke their gaze, but not with the hastily snatched glance of an adolescent playing eye games with a pretty girl. He simply glanced at Rin, held her gaze for a moment, and then moved his eyes back to the road. Rin colored and she felt foolish, heat rising in her face along with an irrational anger that the driver could get that reaction from her.

She was about to speak when the driver turned sharply into a large estate surrounded by a thick hedge. She recognized the ornate ironwork of the massive that gate that swung inward on motorized hinges, the Von Einzbern family crest emblazoned across the hand twisted bars. The driveway was long, almost a private road, bisecting wide sweeps of lawn and decorative, well manicured trees. The Von Einzbern mansion dominated the center of the estate, a massive multi winged structure with hundreds of winking windows and a multi story spire rising from the back and terminating in a pointed conical roof. It was a testament to the vast wealth of the Von Einzbern family that such a gaudy structure should remain unoccupied for months on end until some dilettante decided they wanted a Mediterranean vacation.

The driver pulled to a stop in front of the wide marble stairs that led up to the double main doors. He opened the door for Rin but she had hardly set foot onto the ground when she was nearly bowled over by a squealing, gibbering whirlwind of white blonde hair and infectious energy.

"Illya!"

"Rin!"

The two embraced and Rin took stock of her young friend. When they last met Illya had been a precocious fourteen year old girl determined to defeat any challenge the Clocktower could throw at her. Now sixteen and on the cusp of womanhood she was filling out nicely. Her face had always bourn the promise of slender, imperial beauty. Now she had the finely crafted features of a porcelain doll, the hint of baby fat giving her face a soft, alluring appearance rather than making her look childlike or immature. Her hair was a shade of blonde so light that it was closer to ice than to gold. It was long, past her waist, and had enough body to bounce in rippling waves as she hopped from foot to foot in glee. With a hint of almost motherly approval Rin noted that Illya had grown to be much taller than her. She found it odd to be looking up into her slender features rather than down on a round faced and exuberant cherub.

"Oh my god I can't believe you're finally here how was your flight did you have any trouble this is going to be so much fun I'm so glad to see you!" Illya gushed, taking Rin by the hand and half leading, half dragging her up the steps into the house.

"I'm glad to see you too," Rin said when they were comfortably seated in the study. "But I'm a little surprised to see you here. I thought you were at your family estate?"

"I was, but Ochsenfurt is just so _boring_ this time of year. Besides, when I got your letter asking if you could use my summer place I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a little vacation!"

"I'm surprised your father let you come, he always seemed to stern to me."

"I was surprised as well, but when I told him where I was going he seemed almost eager to get me to come. If it gets me out of Germany and on vacation with my closest friend in the whole world why look a gift horse in the mouth?"

Rin frowned slightly. The head of the Einzbern family would know about the war without a doubt. The fact that he was putting his daughter right in the middle of it spoke of some hidden agenda. But how much did Illya know? Did she think that she was in Valencia for a carefree vacation with a friend? Or was she here to compete? Without a doubt she held some role in the game of shadowy intrigue that was unfolding around Rin. But was she a queen or a pawn?

Any concerns she may have voiced were cut short as a plump housekeeper bustled in with a steaming tea service. She had graying hair and a crinkled, matronly smile.

"Oh, Melva! Perfect timing!" Illya said. "Rin, this is Melva Sualez. She's our housekeeper, her husband Estavio tends the grounds. They take care of this place when nobody else is here."

Melva curtsied politely and set out a pair of teacups, pouring for Rin and Illya. The activity was somewhat unfamiliar to Rin, she was used to the strict formality of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. It was pleasant, in its own way, the European custom of informality. It felt easier to be open with friends without the layers of protocol between them. Illya was the only person with whom Rin would feel that the formality was a barrier, not a protection.

Illya thanked her and Melva curtsied again. She left the teapot and took the tray as she left. Rin liked her. She had the familiar respectful air of a servant, the attitude of a stalwart caretaker as much a member of the family as any parent. It was comforting and familiar. Not at all like the affable but intense independence that she had sensed in the driver.

"Who else do you have on staff here?" Rin asked casually, phrasing the question generally so as not to betray the true object of her interest.

"Just Melva and her husband. Oh, and Shane, whom you've already met."

"Shane? The driver? What does he do around here? I can't imagine that you need to employ a driver full time with nobody here but the caretakers most of the year."

"Oh, he does a little bit of everything. Estavio isn't as spry as he used to be, he originally hired Shane to fix the car when he showed up a couple of months ago. Estavio swears by him. I think he wants to adopt him. He helps around the house, fixes anything that breaks, takes care of the heavy lifting, that sort of thing. Yesterday he pulled a stump out of the flower garden in back. It was sweaty work. He took his shirt off…"

Illya leaned on the arm of her chair and rested her tiny chin on her hand. Her eyes took on a glazy, far off look. Suddenly she jerked upright, her white skin turning an interesting beet color with embarrassment.

"Er, that is to say, um, he's a very reliable fellow and I, um, we don't know what we'd do without him. Yes."

Rin took a sip of her tea to muffle a giggle. She knew what it was like to be sixteen and have a hopeless, puppy dog crush on a muscular, handsome, capable, mysterious, reliable, tall, broad shouldered stranger. With straight white teeth. And big brown eyes. And…

Oh no.


	4. Chapter 3

The cavernous hallways of the Von Enizbern estate stretched around Rin like the drained arteries of some great beast. The ancient structure rustled and burbled to itself as it settled in the night. The air had an expectant quality like the instant of pause between a question and an answer, like a baited breath. The hugeness of the house highlighted its emptiness, long hallways stretched into darkness on either side of her and seemed to hide disconcerting secrets beyond the reach of her light.

She and Ilya had talked and reminisced for hours, swapping stories, asking questions, and simply enjoying each other's company. When the sun began to set Rin had plead fatigue from her journey and Ilya directed the calm and matronly housekeeper to show her to her room. The chamber was spacious, almost palatial, and furnished in the opulent style of European royalty.

Both the Tohsaka and Von Einzbern families were exceedingly old and exceedingly wealthy. Perhaps it was the Japanese origins of her own family and the European origins of her friends', but Rin was used to the simple grandeur of her own ancestral home. The Von Einzbern estate oozed riches from every wall. The furniture was gilt where it wasn't gold. The sheets were Egyptian cotton. The paintings on the walls were originals and antiques. The scale of everything was massive, even palatial.

Rin's luggage had been carried in and placed next to her bed. Her clothing had been unpacked and placed in the ornate dresser and the rest of her belongings had been organized neatly into drawers by Melva the housekeeper. At her instance the small case that held her enchanted gems had not been touched.

With deft hands and slender fingers she rolled the locks on the case into the correct combination. Before she opened it she held out two fingers and muttered a short incantation, lifting the magical wards that she had placed on the case. With a mechanical click it sprang open.

Inside were Rin's tools of thaumaturgy. A small mortar and pestle, several books bound in cracked leather with arcane runes scrawled on them, inks made from the ashes of saints and heroes, vials, focuses, and most importantly of all, crystals. Rin's unique talent for magic allowed her to transfer energy between her own magical circuits and independent placeholder objects like the multicolored gems arrayed in front of her. It meant that, given enough time, she could build up stores of mana unreachable by lesser magi simply by storing all of her excess energy in magical crystals each day.

Tonight she interrupted her normal routine of meditation and storing mana in her crystals. Tonight was different. Tonight was the night that she would finally use the power that she had been saving up for so long. Tonight she had enough mana to summon the greatest of all the Servants. Tonight, Saber would be hers.

Excitement rose in her breast as she padded silently through the house. She knew her destination, and soon she stood at the base of the long spiral staircase that lead up to the tower. With nervous steps she climbed until she passed through the trap door into the tiny octagonal chamber. The room was small, just big enough for what she had in mind. It had eight short, equidistant walls, four of which had round windows paned with wavy blown glass in tin frames. One of the frames was admitting a ghostly oval of moonlight that fell over one of the bare walls and shallow corners.

Rin knew she had to work quickly before the moon shifted and she lost her chance. Quickly she set down her thaumaturgical case and extracted a small round mirror, a roller, and a vial of thick, paste like ink. She rolled a thin layer of ink over the mirror and let it dry for a few seconds. Then she took a glass stylus and carefully, keeping her eye on the oval of moonlight, drew a complex but distorted summoning circle onto the mirror by wiping away the ink to create the lines that she needed. The summoning circle looked like it had been stretched out into a long oval like a penny squashed under the railroad tracks, its intricate designs perfectly proportioned but pulled to nearly twice the length of its width. When Rin opened the window and placed the mirror upright on the sill the distorted summoning circle sketched on its surface reflected the moonlight at just the right angle to create a perfectly circular symbol on the floor traced in glowing beams of moonlight.

With her summoning circle reflected on the floor in perfect, milky rays Rin quickly drew out five of her most powerful crystals and arrayed them around its surface at the points of the star that she had sketched there. Pentacle within circle, star within pentacle, each touching the other at five points where the corners of the pentacle met the outer edges of the circle. Into each chamber of the subdivided circle had been inscribed runes of summoning, binding, and obedience.

Now she was ready.

She began in low tones, the sonorous, hypnotic chant of the binding verse rising in the empty room.

"_O Diener hark aus vergangenen Zeiten_

_Sei nun deine Macht noch einmal manifest warden"_

Her voice rose as she called on the ancient contract. The spidery rays of moonlight reflected onto the floor began to glow, and as they glowed the rest of the light in the room seemed to dim.

"_In Turbulenzen gebunden zu sein_

_Im Kampf getestet werden_

_In Brand nachgewiesen warden"_

Rin's voice no longer sounded like the pitched lilt of a young woman. It had taken a deeper note, vibrating and rising. Each of the gems touching the magic circle began to glow, dully at first, then with rising radiance like five crystal stars in a microcosm of the sky.

"_Ich rufe dich, und meinen Willen laß dein gebunden sein könnte_

_Und so gebunden lassen die Manifestation Ihrer könnte die Manifestation meines Willens sein_

_Um den Willen von sechs dass man der Regel sunder"_

Rin felt eddies of magical energy swirl around her, drawn into the center of the circle like filings to a lode stone. They gathered there, twisting, writhing over one another, clumped into a mass of power that sought to escape the cylindrical boundary of the circle. Altho there was nothing to see with the naked eye Rin felt as if she would burn her sixth senses just by perceiving it. It was more power than she had ever seen in a single convergence.

"_So ist die Bindung, und die Prüfung und die Prüfung_

_So ist mein Wille, so ist deine Macht_

_Lassen Sie wird und eins sein_

_United in Holy War"_

The room was completely black now, a supernatural darkness punctuated only by the blazing brilliance of the magic circle. One by one the five magical gems powering it winked out as they were drained. Now came the most tenuous part of the ritual, the transfer. In truth no mage could channel enough power to sustain a Servant for even a few minutes. The summoning ritual created a rift, and through that rift liked the mage to the Grail itself. With a start Rin realized that the changeover had already happened. There was a second source of magical energy now, emanating from within the circle. The circle was no longer drawing in energy, it was struggling to prevent the kernel of magic within from escaping.

Rin watched in wonder as it built up. It filled the boundary of the summoning circle like water pouring into a cup, endless amounts of energy so powerful that the pillars of reality trembled to contain it. The circle filled like too much water being pumped into a glass tank and, like a glass tank, it began to crack. Worry shot through Rin but she dared not reinforce the boundary. If she interfered before the energy buildup could catalyze into the Summoning she could unleash a magical event of untold destruction.

Worry turned to panic as the magical pressure continued to build without resolving.

_Something's wrong. It should have happened by now. I must have done something wrong. I must have forgotten some line, some modifier, some ritual component. If the power keeps building like this without the Summoning…_

Rin's thoughts were scattered and she had but an instant to react. With the force of a bomb the magical barrier containing the grail energy shattered, bursting the walls of the parapet like a grenade and sending its roof up in a blazing pillar. Instinctively Rin threw up her hands, wildly drawing power from the gems in the case at her feet and funneling it into a shield. The force of the explosion shattered her shield the instant she materialized it up but it did prevent the blast from killing her outright. Instead it blew her back through the wreckage and into the empty air.

For a single sickening instant she hung as if in defiance of gravity, her arms and legs wind milling helplessly. In the burning ruins of the spire she thought she could see a dark figure, some monstrous apparition wreathed in smoke. And then she fell.

A single involuntary scream tore from her throat as she plummeted towards the earth. The ground rushed up to meet her, but before her body could shatter on the paving stones below something hit her from behind, wrapping her in a vice like embrace. She got the impression of charred flesh and a single, madly rolling eye, and then they hit the ground.

The impact knocked the wind from her lungs and she tumbled end over end before coming to a stop in the grass. She wound up flat on her back, dazed, bruised, and bleeding from half a dozen small cuts. She gasped for air and pushed herself onto her side, her eyes scanning wildly for her rescuer. She spotted a bulky figure just rolling to a stop some distance beyond her.

It stood, its back to Rin, and she fought apprehension as she tried to push herself up. It was a man, but proportioned like a giant out of myth. He was eight feet tall, with shoulders as broad as the hood of a car. Rippling muscle stood in clumps under skin stretched as taut as cellophane. His shoulders tapered to what seemed an impossibly tiny waist. It was as if he was a caricature of masculinity, a grotesque depiction of the idealized muscle man.

But as he turned and approached Rin his muscle mass seemed to fade, his height decreased, and he shrank to a somewhat more human proportion. Still, he was a jarring, disconcerting sight. He was completely bald. His head, chest, arms, and in truth his entire body was networked with a seething mass of clumpy scar tissue. He looked like he had been run through a meat grinder and then set on fire. Shiny burn scars glistened in the light of the flaming rubble scattered over the lawn, barely visible beneath the marks of cuts, claws, and scrapes. His left hand was mangled, the last two fingers cleanly severed along with most of the side of the palm. His brow was thick, almost neanderthalic, and his eyebrows were bleached white as if from old age. His left eye was a blind, milky white portal of cataracts. His right blazed with…something. Rage? Sorrow? Simple confusion?

Rin ignored the aching of her body and struggled to her feet, determined not meet this bestial assailant on her knees. Altho he was no longer at his magically enhanced height he still towered over her. Silenced stretched between them as they regarded one another, Rin staring defiantly up and the massive, disfigured interloper staring quizzically down.

It was he who broke the silence.

"Are you my master?"


	5. Chapter 4

"I am." Rin replied, forcing her voice to sound more confident than she felt. She had just been magically drained, blown up, and thrown from a four story tower. She was bruised and bleeding. And after all of that she had the sneaking suspicion that the mutilated creature standing in front of her wasn't even Saber.

"Who are you? And where are…ah!" She began but was interrupted by a flash of agony from her left arm. The sleeve was tattered and she tore it the rest of the way off, revealing a glowing spot that moved over her flesh. It raced over her skin like a spark, like the point of an invisible pen tracing a complex multi fluted glyph in molten ink. It burned like a brand and glowed like a star, emanating the exact same golden light that had filled her barrier just prior to the summoning. Rin gritted her teeth and clenched her fist against the pain as the symbol blazed with a final burst of light before fading into an angry red tattoo.

It was a simple symbol, traced in three distinct sections. All were triangular and linear, evocative of forward motion or sudden violence. More than anything else it resembled a stylized blade or spearhead.

_Command seals!_

Rin thought with wonder. So the summoning had worked after all, and her contract had been formed. Despite the rather minor setback of partially demolishing her friend's summer home she was a Master. A combatant in the Grail War. A rich flood of emotions washed over her; relief that all of her work had paid off; fear of the War; but most of all a rush of elation unlike anything she had ever felt. Everything she had done in her entire life had been building towards the coming conflict. She resisted the urge to pump a fist into the air as she turned back to the tall figure.

"Who are you?" She asked again, her eyes stern, her voice full of command.

"I…I am…I'm…" He said. He didn't stammer but he seemed confused, almost disoriented. Moments ago he had been a monstrous apparition of power and force. Now he glanced around as if questioning his very existence.

"I do not know. There are…gaps in my memory. You are Rin. This I know. How could I know that and not know my own name?"

Rin was taken aback. How _could _he know her name? Did the contract somehow grant him supernatural knowledge of her? Of the Grail War and the circumstances surrounding it? How could he be amnesiac? And how could she gauge her own servant's powers if he didn't even know who he was? Suddenly an idea occurred to her and she reached inwards, probing for new powers.

Subtly her vision shifted. Everything about the scene remained the same but overlaid on her vision was something like an academic or scientific report. The front portion of the report was very simple.

CLASS: Berserker

TRUE NAME: ?

MASTER: Tohsaka Rin

Rin's hopes drooped when she saw what was written there. Not only did it give no clue as to her servant's true identity, but it confirmed her suspicions. It was Berserker, not Saber, that had been summoned. Could it be a result of whatever accident had caused her magic circle to malfunction? But as she scanned farther through the report her confusion deepened. It had to be some malfunction, because there was obviously some error with the way her servant's statistics were being displayed.

WEAPON: ?

NOBLE PHANTASM: ?

CLASS ABILITIES: Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement…

Her eyes flicked downwards but as far as she could see the report was unending, an infinitely repeating loop listing Berserker's single apparent skill. She was already cautious that there might be something wrong with her servant, however any hopes that Rin harbored for winning the war were shattered when she flicked her eyes to the next page.

STRENGTH: e

ENDURANCE: e

AGILITH: e

MAGIC: e

LUCK: e

NOBLE PHANTASM: e

Not only was he unidentifiable, every single stat that he possessed was the lowest possible value for a heroic spirit. Even with his mad enhancement power he would barely be D rank, unable to compete with even the weakest of servants in any area.

A wave of bitter disappointment washed over Rin. She had nobody to blame but herself. She had made some mistake with the ritual, or she hadn't been strong enough, or she had over stepped her bounds by trying to summon Saber. It didn't matter any more. She was stuck with a useless servant and the broken hope that she could make her family proud. Reluctantly she dropped Berserker's stat report.

"At least I think I know why you have amnesia." Rin said morosely.

"You're a Berserker class servant. That means you died in madness. Evidently the Grail was able to restore your body, but your mind remains lost."

Berserker's brow furrowed but he said nothing. Rin's mind reeled from the trauma of the summoning and the realization that she had little to no chance of winning the War. What would she do? Give up? No, she had never given up on anything in her life. Rin steeled herself and decided to play the hand she was dealt. In a chess game even a single pawn can tip the scales between victory and defeat, if it survives long enough and finds itself in the right position. Rin's strategy would be one of defense, manipulation, and surgical strikes.

"For now we need to get inside and decide what our next move is." She said.

"I would suggest that you decide sooner rather than later, Master." Berserker replied.

"We have company."

His eyes flicked over Rin's shoulder and he dropped into a combat crouch with the practiced ease of a longtime warrior. Rin whirled, eyes seeking frantically for some new opponent. How could she be so stupid? The summoning would be like a magical beacon for every magus in a fifty mile radius. If any of the other masters were even halfway competent they would jump on the chance to eliminate a rival while her servant was still weak from the summoning, perhaps before a contract could even be formed.

But her fears were unfounded. Standing in the doorway of the mansion in various states of undress were the members of Ilya's household. Ilya was at the fore, her night dress unruffled but her eyes as wide as saucers as she surveyed the flaming wreckage scattered over her lawn. Behind her stood the housekeeper Melva and a short Spanish man that Rin assumed was her husband Estavio. Looking over all of their heads was the tall, lanky form of Shane the driver. Rin cringed. Ilya looked stunned. She looked from the ruined tower, to Rin, to Berserker, to the wreckage littered over the lawn, and back to Rin.

"Ilya, I can explain…" Rin began.

But Ilya's eyes continued to roam as if she was in a state of shock. She took in Berserker's scarred and monstrous appearance. Her eyes drifted downwards and suddenly got even wider, if that were possible. She blushed down to her roots and gasped. Rin followed her gaze and realized something about Berserker. Something that she was surprised it had taken her so long to notice.

The silence stretched on for several agonizing seconds. To Rin's great surprise it was Shane that finally broke it. He approached Berserker, gave him a good once over, and then gestured towards the house.

"Let's, um, let's get you some pants." He said.


	6. Chapter 5

Rin drummed her fingers nervously on the armrest of the Bentley, every so often glancing over at the massive figure folded into the seat next to her. Berserker was looking out the window at the passing traffic, his single eye scanning the crowds and cars with the same quizzical intensity that had lived on his features since last night. His expression was difficult to read under the disfiguring masses of scar tissue but Rin thought she was beginning to get a feel for her servant. Above all else he was haunted by his amnesia, unsure of who or even what he was.

The previous night had been a hectic affair. Shane had furnished Berserker with a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt, luckily both men were close enough in size that they didn't have to make an excursion to find clothes for Berserker, and then headed out to take care of the smoldering bits of the tower that were scattered over the lawn. Melva had wrung her hands and fussed over Rin, tending to her various cuts and bruises with iodine and bandages. Ilya had simply sat at the kitchen table, her face grave.

Rin had considered making up some story to cover the explosion and appearance of the heavily scarred spirit warrior in borrowed pajamas that was leaning up against the door frame, but in the end she settled on the truth. Ilya was a powerful mage in her own right, she was very clever, and more importantly she was Rin's friend. They had dismissed the servants, both magical and mundane, and withdrawn to Ilya's room where Rin had explained why she was in Valencia and what she hoped to accomplish.

Ilya had remained silent and Rin grew more and more nervous as she spoke. She half expected Ilya to tell her to ask her to leave or babble recriminations. But her fears were un founded. When she had finished with her tale Ilya leaned forwards and clasped her hands fervently.

"You're my sister." She had said simply. "I'll do whatever I can to help you win this thing."

The two young mages had hugged and laughed, once again talking far into the night. But this time they were discussing tactics, making plans, and trying to puzzle out a way to win the war even with Berserker's severe limitations. It was nearly morning when Rin had posed a question that neither girl had considered.

"What are we going to tell your staff?" She asked.

Ilya paused, and then giggled. "We could tell them that you're a diplomat. Or a princess. And that the explosion was an assassination attempt and Berserker is your body guard."

Rin had rolled her eyes.

In the end they wound up hastily spitting out something about a bubble of swamp gas reflected through the light from Venus. Melva and Estavio seemed to accept the answer, or at least to accept that it was the best answer they were likely to get and that they had better mind their own business. They had served the Von Einsbern family for long enough to know not to meddle in the affairs of mages. Shane hadn't challenged the story but Rin could see the wheels turning in his head. He had no way of knowing that the explosion had been magical in nature but you didn't have to be a genius to know that something fishy was going at the Von Einsbern estate.

Now she watched the back of his head as he drove, occasionally catching his eyes regarding her quizzically in the rear view mirror. He knew where they were going but not why. All he knew was that he was taking Rin and Berserker to a church in Old Valencia for some unspecified errand. Wordlessly he pulled to a stop in front of the ancient structure and then got out to open the door for Rin.

"Stay here." She said to Berserker, who nodded.

The churchyard was surrounded by a chest high wall of ancient brick and crumbling mortar. The iron gate was held open by a weather beaten apple box propped at one of the corners, keeping the door held wide to welcome visitors. Rows of tombstones stood beside the short path that lead up to the door, their faces eroded and cracked by the ravages of time. The church itself was small and eclectic with a single spire and simple stained glass windows of no particular pattern. The result was cozy and inviting rather than somber. It would be a picturesque tourist attraction if it were not tucked so neatly out of the way.

Rin took a deep breath and headed up the path but paused half way there as a figure emerged from the front door. He was a middle aged man, tall and broad shouldered. His face was smooth with wings of white stroked backwards from his temples giving him a distinguished but not an aged appearance. He wore a double breasted business suit and did not give Rin a second glance as he passed her and turned left from the gate. Something about him gave her pause. Perhaps it was the feral cut of his jaw, or perhaps the predatory grace of his long strides, but he evoked the restrained danger of a caged predator, like a wolf prowling through a nursery. Rin suppressed a shudder and put the stranger out of her mind, forcing courage into her steps as she entered the church.

The interior was darker than she expected, illuminated by candles rather than electric lights. The stained glass cast deep purple and orange patches of sunlight over the worn wooden pews. The effect was close, intimate.

From behind the lectern a white bearded clergyman looked up from a tome he was studying. His eyes crinkled in a smile like little black buttons and he shuffled out from around the pulpit, his hand extended.

"Welcome, my child." He said in a warm voice.

"All are welcome who seek the touch of heaven. Yes, those who seek the heaven's feel."

Rin picked up on his veiled query immediately.

"Yes." She said, bowing politely. "I am here as a magus of the Grail War."

To her surprise a look of great sadness seemed to settle over the aged priest's face. He beckoned for her to follow, shuffling towards the lectern.

"As you are no doubt aware we, the agents of the Church, are charged with overseeing the war. We will mediate the conflict and try to keep human casualties to a minimum. Should your servant be defeated or if you simply wish to quit you can find sanctuary here, or in any church throughout the city. Combat on church grounds is strictly prohibited. Our involvement will be enforced by our Burial Agents. I would advise you not to test them. The are…highly competent."

When they reached the lectern the priest pulled open the thick covers of the tome that he had been perusing, turning the yellowed pages until he arrived at a blank one about the midpoint of the book. Over the sound of crinkling parchment Rin thought she heard the soft rustle of cloth and she glanced towards the shadowy choir. She could not be sure through the darkness, but she thought she could make out a figure standing there. She surreptitiously kept watch out of the corner of here eye and was rewarded by a slight shifting movement. There was definitely someone watching the proceedings from hiding. Curious.

"The registration is simple." The priest said, jerking Rin's attention back to the open book in front of her. "Write your name and the class of your servant, and seal it with a drop of blood."

Rin confidently reached for an ornate fountain pen resting in an inkwell when the priest put a kindly hand over hers, stopping her. She glanced at him in surprise and he looked up at her with sad, crinkled eyes.

"Can I convince you not to do this, my child?" He asked, his tone full of paternal concern. "Such bloodshed, such conflict. Wishes and magic are not the route to happiness, but humility and service to God."

Rin gently but firmly pulled her hand away.

"Thank you, Father, but I will not be dissuaded." She said.

With short, businesslike strokes she wrote on the page in her imperious script Tohsaka Rin, and beneath that Berserker. She pierced her thumb with the sharp nib of the pen and then waited for a moment, an inky drop of blood welling up on her fingertip. She let the drop fall with an air of finality, her blood splashing slightly and forming a dark spot on the page, black in the dim light of the chapel.

"Very well then." The priest said. "Return here if you seek sanctuary. Go with God."

The simple ritual or signing a book and leaving a drop of blood had a finality to it that even summoning a servant had not. For the first time the full import of what she was about to attempt struck Rin. For a moment her confidence faltered. But then she stepped outside. There in the Bentley were Shane and Berserker. With an iron grip on her will she steeled herself. She was not going to quit. She was not going to surrender. She was going to play the hand she was dealt. And she would win.

She held her head high she marched to the car.

…

The elderly priest watched Rin as she marched away, resignation evident on his face. Once the young magus was out of sight the figure lurking in the shadows stepped forwards, stalking towards the book on the lectern. Involuntarily the aged priest cringed backwards, making way for the shadowy interloper.

"I don't know what you hope to accomplish." He said, his words laden with misgiving.

The shadowy figure said nothing, flipping through the book until it found Rin's page. With a careful hand it pulled the page out of the binding of the book and with a pair of medical shears clipped out the square that held her drop of blood. The rest of the page was unceremoniously crumpled and tossed away. The drop of blood was carefully transferred into a specimen bag and then tucked into the shadowy figure's clothing.

"You have your orders." It hissed to the priest. "Tell the Wolf to stand by. We'll need to move quickly once we've located the weapon."

With a rustle of robes it turned on its heel and stalked back into the shadows.


	7. Chapter 6

Shane dropped Rin and Berserker off in front of the Von Einsbern manor, walking around to open the door for her as he always did before driving around to park the car in the garage. As she mounted the steps up to the wide front doors the hair on Rin's neck began to prickle. Something was definitely amiss, and she though she could detect the faint but unmistakable tingle of a magical aura emanating from within the house. Her steps quickened and Berserker, sensing her mood, quickly put himself in a defensive position in front of her. He quirked an inquisitive eyebrow in her direction, the one over his sightless and scarred blind eye.

"Something's wrong." She said urgently.

He nodded and preceded her into the house, following her cues as they quickly made their way through the front rooms. The magical aura was definitely growing stronger as they approached but Rin couldn't identify its source or purpose. Could a rival mage have discovered the manor and attacked Ilya while Rin and Berserker were at the church? Rin's steps quickened until she and Berserker were practically running through the house to get to the source of the magical convergence. They reached a finely carved set of dining room door and Rin could detect the aura just beyond them. She quietly nodded to Berserker, who dropped into a practiced combat crouch.

They burst into the room with a crash and Ilya, who was sitting at the large table that filled the center of the room, leapt up with a strangled yelp. Other than Rin and Berserker's forced entry the room showed no sign of struggle and Ilya was in perfect health aside from being startled. The younger mage's face split with a grin of pride as she swept her hands over the project that she had laid out on the massive mahogany table that dominated the center of the room.

"Look what I did while you were out!" She said excitedly, moving around the table to grab Rin's hand and pull her forward, ignoring Berserker and the door hanging loosely from its hinges. Her excitement overrode her concern at having her dining room partially demolished.

There was a jumbo sized map of Valencia spread out over the table, the corners pinned down with thumbtacks and its surface smoothed out with some sort of laminate. It was obviously the source of the magical aura that Rin had sensed earlier. Across its surface a number of small crystal marbles about the size of a BB shot were rolling about, swirling in patterns apparently of their own volition. Rin's brow screwed up in concentration and she probed with her arcane senses, trying to unravel the mechanics of the map even as Ilya was excitedly babbling an explanation.

"I threw a low level detection field over the city and tied it off to this map. Not enough for any magus to detect over the naturally occurring motes of prana in the air, but juuust enough to cause a minor magical resonance whenever anyone tries to cast anything big. I also enchanted the marbles to gravitate towards magical disturbances. It probably won't pick up normal spell casting, but if someone uses something big or if a Servant unleashes their Noble Phantasm…"

"…the marbles will clump together in that spot and we'll know where they are!" Rin finished in unison, her voice catching Ilya's excitement.

"Ilya, this is fantastic! It won't show us spell casting but we'll know whenever Servants engage in battle. How did you manage a web wide enough to cover the whole city? Even as weak as the field is the strain must be enormous."

Ilya waved off her concerns, her infectious excitement leaving little room for such doubts.

"Oh, stop worrying. I'll be fine. The point is that this gives us a distinct advantage over everyone else. We'll be able to monitor Servant battles, and if anyone casts a spell powerful enough to register on the map we'll know right away."

Rin dropped the matter but she filed the new information about Ilya away. To maintain such a web without visible strain meant she had some trick up her sleeve that she obviously wasn't willing to share. Either that or she was simply far, far more powerful than Rin remembered. Possibly more powerful than Rin herself. If she were finding this out about anyone else Rin would be suspicious and wary. As it was she could only find herself feeling excited for her friends potential.

Putting such thoughts out of her mind Rin leaned in over the map, pointing at a minor eddy of activity in one of the seedier waterfront districts.

"What's this?" She asked, gesturing to a small flurry of activity in the constantly moving marbles.

There were four points on the map within relatively close proximity to each other around which the marbles seemed particularly agitated. They weren't clumps of magical energy, that much was clear, but each elicited a minor vortex of movement around its position.

Ilya craned her head to look at the four different points, a quizzical expression on her face.

"Well, it could be a minor magical disturbance, or maybe something just weak enough that the field is picking up eddies. They're all in the same neighborhood so maybe it's some mage's base of operations? Or it could be…oh, OH! I know what this is! It's been all over the news for weeks!" Ilya exclaimed, bounding energetically into the television room with Rin following at a more dignified pace.

She picked up the remote control and began flipping through news channels. After a maddening number of daytime infomercials they finally found a good news station. Unfortunately they were running an hour long special on a disaster in Tunisia which, while appropriately heart wrenching, did nothing to help them. Ilya finally threw the remote down in frustration.

"I guess we'll have to use _that._" She said ominously. "Go get Shane, we'll need his help. He'll probably be in the garage."

Rin was a bit bewildered but she complied. The garage was a large structure near the rear of the manor. Part motor pool and part machine shop, there were several luxury automobiles and a number of mechanical projects in various stages of completion scattered around seemingly at random. She picked her way past a partially disassembled motorcycle and found Shane doing something under the hood of the Bentley. Rin cleared her throat and he straightened up, wiping grease off his hands with a rag. He had swapped his black drivers uniform for a simple white shirt with blue sleeves currently rolled up around his elbows. There was a streak of grease on his face and he began scrubbing his hands on a shop towel. He was very…masculine. Rin struck an imperious pose and looked down her nose at him.

"Driver," She said. "We require your assistance."

Rather than standoffishness Shane replied to her rather curt request with one of his wide grins.

"Ya know, you can call me by my name. Shane. Shane Rowe."

"Very well then." Rin snapped back, turning on her heel. "Come along Shirou."

She cringed inwards and fought a blush. Perhaps it was the days excitement, or perhaps she was flustered for some other reason that she didn't really want to contemplate, but her Japanese accent emerged like a smirking monster and she absolutely butchered the pronunciation of his name. To her great surprise Shane caught her arm as she was about to leave the garage and spun her around. Her eyes widened and he leaned in, his customary jovial manner gone, a sudden frightening intensity animating his features.

"What did you call me?" He demanded. "Where did you hear that name?"

Rin was taken aback and she choked out a surprised retort.

"S-Shane Row? Th-that's your name, isn't it?" She sputtered, carefully pronouncing each syllable correctly. How dare he make her stammer! A sudden rush of pride and anger filled Rin and she jerked her arm away.

"B-Besides! Maybe your name just isn't worth pronouncing correctly!" She finished somewhat lamely.

Shane stood there for a moment, his look of intensity changed to a look of surprise, and then he burst out laughing. It was the worst thing he could have done. Rin stamped her foot in fury and resisted the urge to smack him right upside his laughing face. Instead she hunched her shoulders, balled her fists, and marched off to find Ilya, the laughing Shane following in her footsteps.

Ilya was in a small, out of the way room huddled over a desk. The item on the desk filled Rin with as much apprehension as the though of facing a servant in battle. Perhaps it was their reliance on magic, or perhaps it was their ancient family lineage, but most of the mages Rin knew felt the same way about computers as she did. Dreaded, confusing boxes animated by unknowable foreign magic and containing secrets that had to be painstakingly ferreted out to be understood.

Ilya sat in front of the keyboard with a look of miserable resignation on her features as she hunted and pecked with two fingers. She brightened when Shane walked in, her face lighting up with clear infatuation. Rin, still angry at him for flustering her as much as he did, harrumphed and stomped over to stand next to her friend.

"Shane! I need you to find a news report for me."

Shane obligingly sauntered over, leaning in over Ilya's shoulder and sending a luminescent blush creeping up on her porcelain cheeks.

"Okay, click on the icon for the internet…the one that looks like a giant E…no, left click…you gotta double click…that's twice in rapid succession…you really should use a better browser…here, scoot over, lemme try."

He gently shooed Ilya out of the computer seat and the started clicking away at the keyboard. He launched into confusing dissertation about setting foxes of fire, or perhaps covering them with chrome, Rin couldn't tell. She looked at Ilya over Shane's head and they both shrugged in unison.

Eventually he pulled up the news report that Ilya had tried to show Rin earlier on the television. The somewhat jovial mood in the computer room faded away as a young anchorwoman began her report on the series of grizzly murders that had taken place near the docks. Four murders had been reported. The details were being withheld by the police but the addresses of the killings placed all four directly under the four magical disturbances visible on Ilya's enchanted map. Shane's expression was somber but Ilya's was calculating. Four murders, obviously magical in nature, each within a week, and all of that compounded by the start of the Grail War. There was no way it could be coincidence.

"I guess I've got some investigating to do." Rin said.


	8. Chapter 7

The moonlight was marred by ragged wisps of cloud like pollutants dragged over the stars. Their wan light filtered down past the dirty yellow flickering of streetlamps that cast pools of safety against the hostile night. Rin felt out of place in the grungy dockside neighborhood. Derelict cars and piles of rubbish loomed out of the darkness like the half rotten husks of great beasts. The sharp scent of the ocean, normally so invigorating, was tainted by a dull miasma of old fish and rotting wood.

Rin could sense Berserker behind her without looking, his massive figure towering over her petite one like an oak next to a sapling. He was a difficult man to gauge since he said so little. Most talkative men were very easy to size up, but the less they said the more time it took to find out what was beneath the stony facades they presented. Rin's father was such a man. He spoke rarely but when he did you could be sure his words would be important. As the head of one of the most powerful magical families in the world he could decide the fate of a man with a single word. Rin got the impression that Berserker was the same way, strong and silent.

She was sure he was confused, without memories, cast into a fight that he was even less well equipped to face than she was. Yet she had never heard him complain or even question her. Even so his actions did not bear the feeling of simple blind obedience. She didn't know what it was, but she got the impression that Berserker considered himself her equal for all that he addressed her as Master. After a brief moment of introspection Rin decided that she liked it that way. Her life was full of servants, but battles should be conducted by equals.

As if in counterpoint to her thoughts Berserker spoke in his gravely bass.

"Master, we are here." He said.

Rin glanced up and realized he was right. They were at the warehouse that the fourth and most recent murder had occurred at. Rin paused before entering and mentally recounted everything that she and Shane had been able to gather from the various news and gossip sites that they had spent the day researching. All four victims had been young women but other than that had little in common. One was a habitual criminal with drug possession and prostitution charges against her, one was a house wife, one a minor executive, and this most recent victim a shop girl. Their ages, appearances, and body types had all been different. The police had no leads, and they hadn't released the details of the murders to the press.

Berserker pulled away the gaudy yellow police tape that criss crossed the doorway and tried the handle. It was locked but with a cautious glance around the street he stepped up and slammed his shoulder into it. Despite his sub par stats for a servant he was still very strong and the door sprang ajar with a splintering sound. He cautiously pushed the door wide and Rin peeked inside. She clicked on the flashlight she had brought and shone it through the opening, playing it over the empty entrance hall.

Just as she was about to step through the doorway a prickle shot up her spine and she whirled to face the street, the unmistakable feeling of watching eyes making her skin crawl. The street was as deserted as it had been a moment ago but the feeling didn't fade. Beside her Berserker tensed.

Despite her unease several minutes passed, the street remained empty and Rin could sense no presence beside her own and Berserkers with either her magical or natural senses. Her hackles still bristling she sniffed haughtily, partly to restore her own confidence, and stepped into the warehouse.

While it was hardly the decrepit abandoned structure so popular in children's mystery literature it was still wide open and completely empty. The vastness gave the impression an uncomfortably open space, slack and lifeless. With a gesture for Berserker to follow her Rin moved in, playing her flashlight over the walls as she made her way towards the center of the floor. There was a cordoned off area there bounded by police tape and traffic cones that Rin moved towards cautiously.

Inside she expected to see the neat chalk outline of a body, just like in daytime crime dramas. Instead she blanched as she saw a deeply spreading stain of crimson covering the floor. Evidently cleaning crews had soaked up as much blood as they could but the rubiate stain still marred the concrete, bearing silent witness to the atrocities that had been danced out on its surface. _Of course there would be blood._ She chided herself. _It's no use getting squeamish now._

But the reality was still sobering. 48 hours ago there had been a living, breathing human being there gasping out their last tortured breaths on the ground where she now stood. Rin suppressed a shudder and stepped over the police tape.

Instead of the chalk outline that she expected there were a number of neat little evidence tags scattered over the surface. Rin's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Why tag where the victim's scattered possessions had fallen instead of marking the position of the body? She knew that they would photograph everything and then mark their locations with the tags, but why do that and ignore the body? She bent and picked up one of the tags. It said Left Foot.

Rin held it dumbly for a moment until it occurred to her what it meant. Then she dropped it as if she had been burned. _They did mark the body._ She realized grimly. With a growing sense of horror she read the other cards near her feet. Right Middle Finger. Intestines 2 of 9. Liver?. Right Ear.

She felt sick to her stomach, an icy sense of dread clawing its way up her spine. The murderer hadn't just killed the poor girl. He had mutilated her. Eviscerated her. Despoiled her body and scattered her remains about like a child playing with toys. Perhaps it was her growing sense of dread but Rin nearly jumped out of her skin when Berserker placed his massive hand on her shoulder.

"Master. We should go. Something isn't right." He said.

"One moment, I still have to check the magical disturbance."

Rin concentrated and reached out with her third eye, probing for magical phenomena in the area. Her brow furrowed. The irrational fear coursing through her was making it difficult to concentrate. She directed her magical scan towards the ring of police tape and the gruesome tableau displayed there. Within she detected…nothing. Not even the ambient strands of prana that drifted around the general atmosphere. The entire area was a magical dead zone.

"Well, that explains the disturbances on the map." Rin said, trying to keep her voice steady.

"The magical energy has been completely drained from this area. Probably a Servant trying to bank mana. But as for why anyone would do this…" Rin trailed off, gesturing vaguely towards the crimson stain in the center of the dark warehouse.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" A voice hissed into Rin's ear.

She shrieked and whirled around, her wide eyes frantically searching the darkness. Her heart raced, blood pounded in her ears. She saw nothing and for an instant she had the sickening feeling of being hopelessly, helplessly alone.

Then Berserker grabbed her by the shoulder and pushed her behind him, his grip restoring her to her senses. Frantically she played the beam of the flashlight over the abandoned warehouse searching for the source of the voice. A laugh that contained no mirth echoed from a distant corner of the massive space, a manic titter that spoke of pain and a sudden, horrifying end. Rin tried to keep her panicked fingers from shaking but the beam of light jittered like it was being run through a tumble dryer as she focused it on the source of the laugh. There was nobody there.

Then the dark laughter came again, this time from the opposite side of the room. Rin desperately tried to shine her light on it but was interrupted as once again the mocking laugh sounded again, this time from near the door they had entered from.

"How many of them _are_ there?" Berserker grunted through clenched teeth, the laughter circling them like a crowd of insane jesters.

As if in answer a pillar of shadow shot up from the floor not inches from Rin's feet. She fell and scrambled backwards, the fear that gripped her amplifying to maddening heights. The great pillar of darkness resolved itself into the figure of a man and Rin slowly played her light up his body.

He was tall and impossibly thin. There was something about his proportions that set the mind ill at ease. His arms came down just a bit too far, his elbows struck a disconcerting angle. He looked like a spider or a scarecrow, too thin to stand without collapsing under his own weight. His fingers were long and pale, twisting and grasping each other with nervous intensity. His clothing was an impeccable business suit distinguishable only from the gloom by being blacker than the surrounding darkness. He wore a high collar and an antique style cravat. When her eyes reached his face Rin fought not to avert her gaze. His mouth was too wide for his head, stretched into a crooked toothed cheshire grin like a corpse's rictus. His hair did not cover his eyes, nor did the darkness obscure them, but when Rin thought back on the incident she could not remember them at all. Perhaps the portion of her subconscious relegated to maintaining her sanity simply blocked out the memory.

Her vision was obscured as Berserker seized by her collar and dragged her behind him once again. He lunged forwards, arms wide to snare the dark figure but it darted backwards, ducking under Berserker's outstretched arms. There was a flash of steel and a long, shallow cut appeared over the scar tissue that gnarled on his forearm. Once again the maddening laughter began echoing from around the room, never originating in one place twice.

The last rational piece of Rin's mind cast about for a retreat and settled on a course of action.

_If I've seen him do it..._ She though. She quickly flickered her eyes and reached into that odd space that she did not yet understand, pulling up the Master's vision granted her by the Grail. She saw Berserker's page, his E rank stats, his glitched class ability list. Quickly she flicked here eyes to the left, desperately searching for something that would save them from the predicament they were in.

CLASS: Assassin

TRUE NAME: ?

MASTER: ?

WEAPON: The Knife

NOBLE PHANTASM: ?

CLASS ABILITIES:

Terror: Enemies within Assassin's vicinity are filled with supernatural fear.

Presence Concealment C: The Assassin is not detectable as a Heroic Spirit and gives off no magical aura.

Presence Concealment A: The Assassin is completely invisible to all detection and in essence phases out of "reality". Of Note: This ability can only be activated while Assassin stands within the shadows.

Shadow Walk: The Assassin steps from one shadow to another like a doorway.

STRENGTH: E

ENDURANCE: D

AGILITH: A+

MAGIC: D

LUCK: B

NOBLE PHANTASM: D

"Aaaargh!"

Rin was snapped back to reality as Berserker cried out. She dropped the magical statistic sheet that she was viewing just in time to see Assassin hove out of the darkness like a great bat, ram a knife into Berserker's back, and then vanish once more with a cackle. Altho the terror had no less of a hold on her somehow knowing that it was supernatural in origin and not her own weakness helped Rin regain her faculties. All at once Assassin's fighting style became clear. Assassin's stats were nearly as bad as Berserker's. He would almost certainly lose a direct confrontation with any servant except one as weak as her own. He was far weaker than any regular servant, almost entirely reliant on stealth and darkness. But within that darkness he became an indestructible, untargetable angel of death; capable of striking at will and retreating without fear of reprisal as his terror aura did its work on his victims.

_There's no way to beat him in the shadows. _Rin thought. Then a single possible avenue of escape presented itself to her.

"Berserker! We have to get outside!" She cried, scrambling to her feet and dashing towards the yellow pool of lamp light still visible through the gap in the door. She had not made three strides before the great spidery form of Assassin burst from the floor in front of her. She bounced off him and fell back, cringing as the terror once again flooded her mind.

"My, my, my." Assassin said. He twirled a slim blade through his fingers, weaving it in hypnotic, glinting patters.

"Leaving so soon? Now we can't have that, _can we!"_ He grunted, lunging. Rin screamed. Berserker bellowed "NO!" He tore the knife from his shoulder and sprinted towards them, throwing himself into a headlong dive. Assassin's stroke, aimed directly at Rin's heart, veered off course as Berserker slammed into him. Rin cried out as the blade pierced her leg, clamping her hand over the wound as pain shot through her.

Assassin hissed in displeasure and once again vanished into the darkness. Berserker quickly pulled the knife from Rin's leg and let it clatter to the floor. 

"Can you stand?" He asked urgently.

"I...I don't think so." Rin gasped through the pain. Immediately Berserker bent to lift her but as he did she caught the flash of silver as Assassin struck again. Berserker cried out and fell to his hands and knees over her, the blow had laid open his back from shoulder blade to waist. Assassin could easily have finished them both. He was toying with them. Berserker pushed himself back to his knees, glaring into the darkness as Assassin's taunting voice circled them.

"Now, now, children. Where are your manners? It's impolite to leave when your gracious host is having such fun. Altho I fear my fun must come at your expense."

Rin gritted her teeth and tried to sit up. The mind altering terror of Assassin's fear aura mingled with despair and bitter disappointment. Not at dying, but at losing. _Stupid, stupid. It was a trap and we walked right into it. If I had any servant but Berserker... _She though bitterly. She immediately regretted the thought. It wasn't Berserker's fault. He was as much a victim as her. Even more so, summoned into a fight he wasn't prepared for without memory or motivation.

"But, alas, as fun as it has been I'm afraid our little evening is drawing to an end. Please bear in mind that I bear neither of you any ill...what the hell?"

The loading bay doors behind Assassin exploded inwards in a shower of wood and metal and a roaring, snarling beast pushed its head through. Its eyes cast a beam of brilliant light that bisected Assassin. For an instant Rin hoped that he would simply vanish in a puff of smoke but instead he dove out of the beam, screaming in rage and frustration. The beast squealed into the warehouse and ground to a halt in front of Rin and Berserker. She realized that it was the Bentley, that its high beam headlights had saved them from Assassin, and that Shane sat behind the wheel.

"Get her inside, quick!" He bellowed, and she felt Berserker lift her. He pushed her into the passenger seat and then dove into the back seat himself. Shane did something with the gear shifter and the car roared once again, the rear wheels creating an acrid cloud of smoke and burning rubber as he peeled into a tight circle that sent them crashing back out onto the street.

"What...how..." Rin mumbled, glancing back at the quickly shrinking warehouse like a nightmare being wiped from her eyes.

"Maybe I'm a super hero." Shane replied to her unanswered questions, one of his trademark grins lighting his face.

Then Rin passed out.


	9. Chapter 8

Rin was jolted back into consciousness as the Bentley screeched to a halt in the circular driveway of the mansion. It was more the terror and trauma of Assassin's attack that had weakened her to the point of fainting than the pain from the wound, although that stabbed cruelly as Shane lifted her out of the car. He rushed her up the entryway stairs and into the kitchen where he set her gingerly on the kitchen table, sweeping the settings and flatware there onto the floor with a massive crash to make room. Melva and Estavio, summoned by the clatter, stood in wide eyed shock as they entered. Shane took charge of the situation.

"Let me see. Let me see. It's okay, let me see." He said, gently pulling Rin's blood soaked fingers away from the wound. She winced and he inspected it briefly before covering it up with a clean dish towel. He placed her hands over it, then beckoned Melva over and placed her hands over Rin's.

"Keep pressure on the wound." He said to them both.

"'The femoral artery is intact. You're going to be fine. Estavio, the big fellow is still out in the car. He's in bad shape, we're going to have to get both of them to a hosp…" Shane was interrupted as the kitchen door swung open and Berserker staggered in. He was standing on his own, a remarkable feat considering the damage that he had sustained, although he leaned heavily on the door frame to support himself.

Shane guided him into a chair and made him lean forwards to inspect the massive gashes that Assassin had inflicted. The wound had already coagulated, a testament to his increased Servant durability and healing, although it was still a horrific injury.

"Go get me some towels." Shane instructed Estavio.

As he was rushing out in the direction of the linen closet the kitchen door swung open once again and Ilya burst into the room. She looked around wide eyed, taking in the injured Servant and her friend lying on the kitchen table with blood oozing out from between her fingers. She quickly rushed over to Rin.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" She gushed, flittering around like a nervous sparrow, unsure of what to do.

"I saw a massive magical spike on the map down at the docks and I knew that's where you were going so I sent Shane out right away and I tried to make him take me but he wouldn't _let_ me and I'm glad you're alright but, oh, I was so worried!"

"I'll be fine." Rin said, trying to calm the distraught girl down. "Can you take care of this? I need to help Berserker."

Ilya glanced at Shane nervously.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

Rin sighed and winced as she shifted slightly.

"I suppose it can't be helped. Go ahead." She said.

Shane looked on quizzically and his expression quickly changed from one of curiosity to one of amazement. Ilya reached out and held her delicate hands a couple of inches over the wound in Rin's leg, which she pulled the bloody dish rag away from to expose. Ilya closed her eyes and concentrated, her voice took on a reverberating, regal quality as she began a self hypnosis chant in German. An arc of magical energy leapt from her fingers like a spark and Rin hissed as fresh pain shot through her stab wound. The muscle writhed like it had a mind of its own, fibrils leaping together to swiftly knit the wound. The skin pulled inwards at the edges, slowly heaping into a long narrow scar part way down Rin's thigh.

The entire spell only took a moment. When the magical glow faded from Ilya's fingers Rin swung her legs down off the table and gingerly tried her weight on them. She could tell that she would be sore for the next couple of days, and there wasn't anything she could do about the scar, but the worst of the injury had been healed away.

On unsteady feet she quickly crossed the kitchen to stand in front of Berserker. His injuries were much more severe than hers so she dug out one of the mana gems that she had secreted in her pocket. She closed her eyes and began to chant, pulling prana from the small green gem and channeling it into a healing spell. She could feel her nerves tingling with the increased flow of prana, directing the healing energies with all the expertise of a surgeon. Berserker's jaw clenched and although the rapid healing process was sure to be agonizing he didn't make a sound. The flesh of his back healed and knotted into a pair of long dark scars, almost indistinguishable amongst the gnarled masses of scar tissue already draped across his frame.

Rin's attention was drawn by a soft thump as Shane dropped into one of the kitchen chairs, a flabbergasted expression plastered across his face. She glanced nervously at Ilya.

"I suppose we've got some explaining to do." She said.

"I suppose you do."

Rin let her self fall heavily into a kitchen chair, took a deep breath, and began.

…

The sun was peeking through the shutters when she finished. Shane had sat through the night, silent and wide eyed, as she had explained who she really was and why she was in Valencia. He had asked a question here or there, his cowboy accent laden with wonder. She, Ilya, and Shane were still clustered around the kitchen table. Berserker loomed in the doorway, his arms crossed and one massive shoulder leaning up against the door jamb. Melva had cleaned the blood that had pooled on the table and eventually came around with steamy mugs of tea for the four of them. She really was a wonder.

But Rin had little concentration to spare for Ilya's other staff members. Her attention was all focused on Shane. For reasons that she could not quite define she found it very important that he should think well of her. What would he have to say now that he knew everything?

Shane sat for a long moment, his eyes traveling back and forth between Rin and Ilya. He took a long sip of his tea, maybe to steady his nerves, maybe to buy himself some time to think. At length he spoke.

"So you two are wizards." He said.

"Magus." Rin corrected.

"And he's the reincarnated soul of a long dead hero." He jerked his head backwards towards Berserker.

"Servant, or Heroic Spirit."

"And he doesn't have any memories, because he was insane when he died."

"Right."

"But he's fine now, 'cept he's weaker than he should be."

"Unfortunately, yes."

"And you need his help to fight six other heroic servants, and if you win you get a wish."

"Correct."

"And Mr. Stabs-a-lot from last night is one of these servant thingies."

"Right. Assassin."

Shane set his cup down and leaned back in his chair. He blew out a lungful of air, clapped his hands on his legs, then ran them through his hair.

"Okay." He said simply.

Rin was taken aback.

"Just...okay? You believe me?"

"I guess I do. I seen plenty 'a strange things in my time. One time I saw a piece of toast with the _exact_ image of the Virgin Mary toasted onto it. 'Sides, it's the only explanation for you healin' up Rin," He said pointing at Ilya, who blushed. "And you healin' up...Berserker? Berserker. Plus there's the explosion from last, well, night before last."

Rin was surprised. There was something bothering her about Shane that she couldn't quite put her finger on, and his easy acceptance of such a difficult concept only compounded her suspicions. Still, she hadn't slept at all last night and the lack of sleep combined with the stress of the ordeal didn't leave her in the best frame of mind for puzzling out mysteries.

Before she could answer the kitchen door swung open and Melva shuffled in. She was holding an ornate telephone on a serving tray, the chord trailing behind her.

"Pardon miss, but you have a call." She said to Rin.

Rin gave Ilya a surprised glance.

"Now? Very well, I'll take it in the hallway." She said. She picked up the handset and stepped out of the kitchen. Ilya and Shane started talking as she left, Shane bursting with questions and Ilya doing her best to answer them. Rin's mind raced. Who could know that she was here? And what could they want with her? Both questions were answered when she picked up the receiver.

"Hello, darling." Came the cloying voice through the handset. Rin stiffened.

"Hello, Magnus." She said flatly.

Magnus Barthomeloi had been one of her classmates when she was in training at the Clocktower. The third son of the unimaginably wealthy, powerful, and influential Barthomeloi mage family, he had viewed the entire Mage's Association as his birthright since he entered the institution. He pursued every goal with the same arrogance and assurance of success, including Rin. He had attempted to woo her, confident that his family connections would win her affections. She had rebuffed him but he had always maintained that she simply needed time to 'come to her senses'. It explained how he knew where she was. The Barthomeloi family maintained one of the most extensive spy networks in the entire Mage's Association. It was rumored that they kept tabs on every mage of note at all times, altho such claims may simply have been bravado. Magnus may have been a blowhard and a dandy, but he had real power by way of his family's connections.

"Oh, you wound me! No need to sound so dour, my sweet. What would you say if I asked you to meet me for lunch? Somewhere trendy and up scale. How about the Resturante de Lujo on the Calle Principal? Say, one o'clock?"

Rin's mind raced. What could he want? That he should call her now was no coincidence, she was sure of that. He was certainly involved in the Grail War, more likely than not as a Master. Could he be luring her into a trap? Unlikely, considering he wanted to meet in a crowded place in broad daylight. Did he wish an alliance? Only slightly less likely. His arrogance would never let him share glory. And considering how weak Berserker was Rin would have little to offer him by way of an alliance. What then? There was only one way to find out.

"I'll be there." Rin said, and hung up.

Her mind was awhirl but with the daunting prospect of sharing a meal with Magnus looming over her all the stress and fatigue of the previous night seemed to hit her like a truck. She hadn't slept at all and the healing spells, both casting and receiving, had taken more out of her than she realized. She could hear Shane and Ilya still talking in the kitchen, so with weary steps she stumbled up the stairs and into her bedroom.

She collapsed onto the bed, determined to get a few hours of sleep before her meeting with Magnus. As her eyes drifted shut, in the half concious moment between waking and sleep, she suddenly realized what had been bothering her about Shane. When he had rescued her and Berserker, and while he had been inspecting their wounds with all the expertise of a field medic, his heavy American accent had vanished completely.


	10. Chapter 9

Rin awoke groggily several hours later, the bright noon light muted by drawn shades. Someone, probably Melva, had pulled off Rin's shoes and tucked one of the large fluffy blankets over her. Rin sat up and spent a moment massaging the stiffness out of her leg as she gathered her wits. A quick glance at the clock told her she had an hour or so before her meeting with Magnus Barthomeloi. Her room had its own bathroom so she bathed and dressed in silence.

She chose an outfit that she had favored while she was a student at the Clocktower, a red sweater over a dark skirt. It was something Magnus would remember from when they were students together, when he was pursuing her romantically. Even though she had no intention of going farther than idle flirtation Rin wasn't above using Magnus's feelings for her to manipulate him into revealing more than he intended to. She also wore a pair of thigh high opaque stockings to hide the new scar on her leg.

Rin had never been a vain woman. She was peripherally aware that she would be considered beautiful and she recognized the effect that she had on men. But she had never had time for romance, for primping and preening and gussying up to impress boys. Most men she knew were either idiots or self absorbed cads, none were the sort that could hold her interest. She had been courted by men like Magnus off and on since she had budded into a woman but none of them had ever managed to wrangle more than a date out of her. She was too focused on her studies. Still, she didn't like the idea of unsightly marks marring her perfect appearance. She worked hard at everything she did including the façade she presented to the world. Scars were simply unbecoming.

When she went to rouse Berserker she found him in the room that had been set aside for him just a little way down the hall from hers.

"Come in." His deep voice came from behind the door when she rapped on it.

Berserker was standing in the middle of the room, his back to Rin. He glanced at her as she approached and then brought his gaze back to the window. He was looking at the charred top of the tower where he had been summoned, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"What were you doing?" Rin asked, curious about what he had gotten up to while she was asleep.

The silence dragged on for a long moment, not forced or awkward, but simply an extended pause. Just when Rin thought he wouldn't answer Berserker spoke.

"I was just thinking. Trying to remember. It's odd. Normally when the mind has nothing active to occupy it it retreats into memory. I have no memories and so I have no frame of reference for who I am. Does that mean that I have no character, no personality? Is a man the sum of the events that led up to the current moment of his life? Or is there something else that determines what he is, if he is good or evil?"

Rin was somewhat taken aback. She knew that the issue of his amnesia was weighing heavily on him but she hadn't considered what a toll it was taking. She had been so focused on her goals she had forgotten to consider what Berserker needed.

"What do you think?" She asked. "These are questions that philosophers have been asking for years and years. For what it's worth, I think you're a good man."

Berserker looked at her, his eyes filled with…sadness? Regret? Confusion?

"I wonder. I cannot remember, and yet something that I cannot define makes me uneasy about myself. I know that was a warrior, that I fought and probably killed. Otherwise I wouldn't be here. I hope that I was a good person, that I fought to help people. I'm just not sure. I get the feeling that I…" Berserker trailed off. As if coming back to reality his attention focused once more on Rin.

"But that is neither here nor there. What do you wish of me, Master?"

Berserkers identity issues were definitely something that would bear revisiting, but for now they had a job to do.

"Go have Shane pull the car around. We're going to meet with an old colleague of mine."

…

They arrived at the Resturante de Lujo a short time later after one quick stop. Rin had gotten the idea after Shane had helped her and Ilya find the news story on the computer. She had him take them to a small electronics shop where she purchased several cheap prepaid cellphones, the kind that you recharge with phone cards and don't require a contract to use.

Most mages communicate using magic or letters, the same unfamiliarity with modern technology relegating them to outdated means of correspondence. Any mage monitoring her would be able to detect magical communications. On the other side of the coin they probably wouldn't even consider tapping a cell phone or even checking to see if she was using one.

"You stay in the car with Shane." She instructed Berserker as the Bentley pulled up to the ornate entrance of the restraint. It was a gaudy affair, exactly the sort of place Magnus would pick. Gilding climbed in intricate patterns up fluted columns cut in the Greek style. The crest of the façade was topped by a crown of garish neon proclaiming the name of the restaurant, its points shaped from five proud stars.

"I'll call you if there's trouble." She said. She would have preferred to have Berserker by her side but she couldn't risk taking him into the restaurant with her. If she did and Magnus turned out to be a master he would be able to use his magical stat vision to see how weak Berserker was. It would damage Rin's bargaining position.

Shane pulled up to a stop in front of the restaurant got out to open the door for her. Berserker looked particularly stoic in a pair of aviator sunglasses that Shane had lent him to hide his milky white blind eye. As Rin was mounting the steps a couple exited the restaurant and the glass door swung open at just the right angle to catch the light and throw a reflection of the car. Shane and Berserker were both staring at her legs. Rin flushed but when she glanced over her shoulder Berserker was staring straight ahead and Shane was adjusting the rear view mirror and whistling nonchalantly. Perhaps just a bit too nonchalantly.

Rin resisted the urge to march back to the car and slap them both senseless. Her violent thoughts were interrupted as she stepped into the cool interior of the restaurant, the soft tinkling of fine glassware and light chamber music replacing the sounds of traffic and vibrant life from outside. The maitre d' cleared her throat from behind a narrow desk.

"What!" Rin snapped and the woman, cowed, wrung her hands apologetically.

"Forgive me, Senora, but your reservation?"

Rin softened.

"Senorita. And I'm meeting someone. Magnus, party of two."

The maitre d' quickly scanned down a ledger and tapped a name.

"Ah, you mean party of three. Right this way, please." She said, bowing humbly and gesturing for Rin to follow her.

Rin was instantly on her guard. Three? Her, Magnus, and who else? Her every sense was alert as she made her way to the table. It was only a short way from the entrance and Magnus sat facing her. Rin realized that this meant that he would have an excellent view of everyone that entered or left the restaurant while Rin would have to sit with her back to the door, obviously a deliberate ploy to put her off balance. To his right was seated a tall blonde haired woman of perhaps thirty in a conservative business suit. She was beautiful but severe, a statuesque face framing heavily lidded eyes that scanned the restaurant with all the intensity of a predator.

"Rin my dear, how wonderful to see you!" Magnus said as he rose, arms wide. He embraced Rin and placed a light kiss on either cheek before politely pulling her chair out for her. Rin accepted, never taking her eyes off the blonde across the table from her. The blonde stared back with equal intensity, her eyes weighing and measuring.

"Why Magnus, you haven't changed a bit." Rin fibbed. Magnus's cherubic baby fat had been replaced by a moon faced indifference. He had never grown into his features, his eyes seemed lost in a round face with a weak chin and droopy eyebrows. He neither overweight nor underweight but he gave the impression of someone who did not exercise regularly, a soft body formed out of dough. He wasn't ugly. He was simply average. Forgettable.

"Ah, but you flatter me." He said, a smile crinkling his eyes and bring back some of the boyish exuberance Rin remembered.

"I'm surprised you didn't bring your, ah, partner." As he spoke he leaned forward casually, resting an elbow on the table. The motion pulled up his sleeve ever so slightly revealing the edges of a deep red mark on his forearm. Command seals. Rin smiled sweetly, her suspicions confirmed.

"Sometimes direct action is called for, sometimes subtlety is the better choice. Rest assured, my Servant is nearby."

Magnus's eyes betrayed him, darting around momentarily before settling back on Rin's face. She could feel Magnus fighting the urge to look around the restaurant. He had clearly expected to be able to size up her Servant. The implication that he was waiting in hiding to strike gave Rin back some power in the conversation.

"So, now that our cards are on the table, why have you called me here?" She asked.

"Can't we just be old friends catching up?"

Rin fixed him with a flat stare.

"Alright, alright." He chuckled, throwing his hands up in mock surrender. "I called you here to discuss a...conditional cease fire. We have a history, you and I. I'm not proposing an alliance, simply that neither of us will interfere with the other until such time as our two servants are the last two standing."

Rin's heart leapt even as her keen mind began calculating the risks and benefits of such an alliance. Without knowing how weak Berserker was in relation to the other Servants such an arrangement would be far more beneficial to Rin than to Magnus. How long would it take him to find that out? And would he honor their arrangement once he did? Rin had no illusions. He would betray her the moment it was convenient. She simply had to make him believe that he had more to gain by removing the possibility of conflict with her servant. Still...

"And the condition?" She asked cautiously.

Magnus leaned back and steeped his fingers in front of him, his face serious.

"I want access to all the Tohsaka family's files on the Omega Weapon." He said.

Rin carefully kept the confusion from showing on her features. What was he talking about? Omega? It wasn't anything Rin had ever heard of.

"That isn't something I can promise without authorization from the family head." Rin bluffed desperately, hoping that Magnus would unwittingly give up more information. Whatever Omega was it was obviously important enough to him to give up some serious considerations.

"Besides, a cease fire benefits both of us. What do I get in exchange for the information?"

"What do you want?" Magnus asked.

Rin's mind raced. Asking for the wrong thing could tip her hand and let Magnus know that she didn't have the faintest clue what the Omega Weapon was.

"Fair is only fair. I want the Barthomeloi files on the weapon in exchange."

Magnus looked at her sharply and then a wicked grin spread across his features. He laughed and Rin cringed inwardly. What had she said to tip him off? Still laughing Magnus stood and tossed his napkin onto the table. He moved to Rin's side and rested a hand on her shoulder, leaning down to whisper in her ear.

"You don't know a thing, do you? You really should have brought your Servant."

He stood and began walking towards the exit. Rin was prepared to bolt at any instant. She didn't get the chance. Magnus spoke without turning, waving nonchalantly over is shoulder as he gave the order.

"Lancer, kill her."


	11. Chapter 10

Lancer jumped up with a suddenness that sent her chair clattering to the floor behind her. Rin dove away as well, trying to put one of the pillars between her and Lancer. She cursed herself for her stupidity. She had assumed that here, in broad daylight and a crowded place she would be safe. She should have know that Magnus would take any chance he could get to wipe out a rival Master, bystanders be damned.

There was a sudden burst of magical energy and Rin poked her head out from behind the pillar. Lancer had transformed, the conservative business suit falling away to be replaced by a burnished bronze breastplate. An iconic Corinthian style helmet sat atop her head, its crest adorned with a vibrant red plume that cascaded down the back to mingle with her golden hair. Beneath her bronze armor was a tunic of deepest red, flaring down to mid thigh and exposing muscular legs and sandal wrapped feet.

Her weapon was an ornate spear. The haft was the length of a short javelin but the blade extended to far longer than a typical spear of that size, more a sword blade than a spear point. It was shaped like an odd leaf, flaring wide at the bottom and coming to a wicked point several feet beyond where it met the shaft. It was bifurcated by a narrow blood channel and one side was serrated into wicked backward facing barbs. The bottom of the spear was attached to a stout chain that wound around Lancer's arm, presumably to allow her to use it as a harpoon to ensnare opponents.

Rin acted quickly, digging into her pocket for the cell phone and jamming on the speed dial. Berserker knew to come right away if he got the call, she only hoped she could survive Lancer's assault until he arrived. Even as her survival instincts kicked into overdrive her mind began to work at the puzzle of Lancer's identity. Her armor was that of a hoplite warrior of ancient Greece. Could she be some ancient queen? Some Greek heroine? Or someone else? The details of the fourth grail war were almost impossible to find but Rin had heard rumors that one of the Servants was a woman mis-remembered by history as a man, so even the sex of the servant wasn't definitive when guessing their identity. As intriguing as the problem was it was far less important than surviving the next few seconds.

As if in response to Rin's thoughts Lancer charged. She didn't bother stepping around the pillar that Rin was hiding behind, she simply shattered it with a single massive blow. Rin rolled forwards as a huge chunk of stone crashed into where she had been kneeling moments before. She threw up a shield to deflect the chunks of plaster and rubble that rained down on her. The diners and well to do patrons of the restaurant had been staring but now a single woman's shriek issued a general panic. The crowd surged towards the door and Rin quickly drew herself to her feet and sprinted after them hoping to lose herself in the press of bodies.

Rin's plans were thwarted before she had taken three steps. She felt a rush of air and suddenly lancer was _there_ in front of her. Some kind of teleportation? Or could Lancer really move faster than Rin's eyes could perceive? She was tempted to pull up her magical Grail vision but she knew any distraction could get her killed.

Lancer raised her weapon and Rin readied herself to cast a spell, desperately grasping for something, anything, that would save her life. They were both interrupted by a gunshot from the crowd.

Lancer whirled to face the new threat and Rin's eyes snapped to the stranger that had fired. A man stood apart from the surging crowd, a massive silver revolver leveled at Lancer. He was tall and muscular with wings of white stroked through his hair and an almost tangible aura of danger about him. Rin knew that she had seen him before but where…of course! He had passed her on the pathway to the small church where she had officially registered herself for the Grail War.

Magnus, standing apart from the small melee, snorted.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded. "The dogs of the Church have no business interrupting our battle. This is Grail sanctioned warfare. The Burial Agency has no jurisdiction here."

The tall man's face remained stony and business like.

"We'll tolerate heretics like you for as long as you want to kill each other off. But you should know better than to involve civilians."

"Oh," Magnus sneered. "And how are you going to stop me? Guns won't do you any good against a Servant. I'm surprised you even bothered to come."

"Maybe not, but I think you'll find that commanding a Servant won't do you much good if your head's been blown off." The Burial Agent said, shifting the gun to train it on Magnus. "Or do you think she can catch a bullet?"

"Don't test me, little man." Lancer broke in. "Master, I can do it."

Magnus didn't look so confident. He blanched as the gun was leveled at him, once again glancing around for an avenue of escape. Rin's opinion of him soured with contempt. He was a bully, perfectly willing to kill her if he thought he could get away with it but cowed by a mere show of force. He had no confidence in his Servant and no confidence in himself. By now everyone but the four of them had fled the restaurant leaving the wide open space empty.

Rin had seen Lancer's speed. Maybe she really _could_ catch a bullet. But before Magnus could make his move there was a crashing from behind Rin. The Burial Agent didn't turn but his hand moved like a flash, quickdrawing a second revolver from a shoulder holster and leveling it at the new sound. Berserker had finally arrived, a panting Shane in tow.

"Woah, take it easy Dirty Harry." Shane said, putting his hands up.

The Burial Agent backed up so that he could keep everyone in his line of sight. He glanced at Shane and Berserker but kept his attention on Magnus.

"Here's what's going to happen," He said slowly and carefully.

"Barthomeloi, tell your Servant to stand down. You two are going to leave quietly out the back. Tohsaka, you are going to do the same. Take your pet and go. You get a reprieve this time but if either of you try any bullshit like this again I'll put a bullet in your skull, and I won't give you the courtesy of a warning next time."

Rin nodded and shot Magnus a venomous look, walking quickly towards the door past Berserker who turned to follow her. Shane fell in line behind her too but the Burial Agent trained his second gun on his back.

"Not you, Samuel. You and I need to have a little chat." He said.

Rin paused, confused. Who was Samuel? Shane stopped walking and slumped his shoulders dejectedly. Rin looked at him in surprise. Shane turned back and Rin glanced at him in alarm. He looked like a child who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Go on ahead. This is gonna be a while." He said, tossing her the car keys.

Rin caught them deftly, still trying to puzzle out what was going on. The Burial Agent knew Shane, that much was clear. But why had he called him Samuel? An alias? A code name? Suddenly Rin's suspicions about Shane resurfaced and she backed away, her face icy. Shane shot her one last guilty look before she stepped through the door.

The bright sunlight of the street seemed like a different planet after the subdued colors and gentle music of the restaurant. The entire exchange couldn't have taken more than thirty minutes and yet Rin felt as if it had been hours. The rising wail of sirens in the distance quickened her footsteps and she moved swiftly towards the car. It had been parked halfway on the sidewalk, one wheel nearly mounting the steps to the restaurant, obviously abandoned when Shane and Berserker had leaped out to come to her rescue.

"What happened?" Berserker asked when they were on the road, lost in traffic as a pair of police cars passed them, sirens blaring.

Rin's grip tightened on the steering wheel.

"It was a trap. It was my fault, I underestimated Magnus, the lengths he'll go to. He attacked me in broad daylight. I would have been killed but a Burial Agent saved me."

Berserker quirked an eyebrow.

"Burial Agent?"

"An enforcer for the Church. Somewhere between a demon hunter and an exorcist. Very dangerous."

"So there are more forces arrayed against us than just the other six Masters." Berserker noted.

"Yes and no. The Burial Agency is supposed to be neutral. The Agent only stepped in because Magnus's actions were endangering civilians."

Berserker looked thoughtful as he filed the information away.

"So what's our next move?"

"We need more information. We're going back to the Church. I have some questions about our friend the Burial Agent."

…

They arrived at the small church a short while later. Rin made Berserker wait in the car despite his insistence that the afternoon's attack was proof that he shouldn't leave her side. Rin countered that Servants were forbidden in the church and that to enter really _would_ put them in the Church's crosshairs. He remained silent but was clearly unhappy about the arrangement, contenting himself with leaning back against the car and scanning the street for attackers.

In the dim interior of the church it took Rin's eyes a moment to adjust before she saw the friendly old priest who had taken her registration shuffling towards her.

"Back so soon, my child? I'm glad to..." 

"I'm sorry father, but I've no time for pleasantries. I need to talk to you about the Burial Agent that was dispatched to the Resturante de Lujo." Rin interrupted.

The priest showed some slight signs of alarm and he glanced toward the dark choir alcove as if seeking direction. Rin remembered the dark observer who had watched her sign the ancient registry and she turned to face the choir.

"Who's there?" She demanded loudly.

For a moment nothing happened and Rin feared that she had made a fool of herself. Then there was a deep rustling of cloth and a tall man stepped from the shadows. He was middle aged, perhaps forty or fifty, altho his hair showed no signs of grey. He was clad in a priest's robes but had a lithe, active physique beneath them. Altho he did not appear muscular something about his movements spoke of strength and grace, obviously a man accustomed to physical labor.

The old priest bowed with deference and...was that fear? But the middle aged priest waved him a way with a friendly smile.

"Thank you Peter, you may retire." He said, and the old priest bowed once again, shooting an unreadable glance at Rin before quickly shuffling out of the church by a back way.

"I take it you are in charge." Rin said. "Why the ruse? Why have the father take my registration? I know you were watching. Why reveal yourself now?"

"I had to be sure that you were, ah, the genuine article. You see, my existence is not know to many, and many that know of it would wish to end it."

"Who are you?"

"Oh, how rude of me. I am the true overseer of the War. Kirei. My name is father Kotomine Kirei."

He searched Rin's face for any flicker of recognition and smiled when he saw none.

"Please, have a seat." He said politely, gesturing to one of the pews.

Altho all of his mannerisms were friendly and amiable somehow he made Rin uneasy. His earlier deception was enough to prove him untrustworthy. But if the awe the old priest had displayed towards him was anything to go by he was a very powerful individual. Probably someone with answers.

"I'll stand." Rin said icily.

Kirei shrugged in a 'suit yourself' gesture and sat behind the lectern.

"You were following me. Why?" Rin asked.

"Following you, whatever do you mean?" Kirei replied, his face the picture of surprise.

"Come now. Of all the restaurants in the city you just _happen_ to have a Burial Agent stationed where I was supposed to meet with Magnus?"

"Perhaps he was just having lunch." Kirei said.

Rin gave him a flat look. Kirei laughed.

"Clever, very clever, but not quite correct. You see, Carlos was following Magnus, not you."

Rin quirked an eyebrow.

"The Agent, his name is Carlos. I assume that's what you were going to ask me next? Ah yes, Carlos Monsevais. Often called El Lobo or The Wolf. Our top man here in Spain. Very competent."

Rin snorted.

"He came to fight a Servant armed with nothing but pistols. That doesn't seem too competent to me."

"And what would be better? A sword? Some ancient holy relic blessed to banish evil beasties and keep good christians safe in their beds?"

"Well...yes." Rin said. "A gun doesn't seem like a very useful weapon against something like a Servant."

Kirei chuckled again.

"What mystical enchantment do you suppose a sword could carry that a gun could not carry equally? We're living in the modern world, my child. I'm afraid you Mages have some terribly out dated ideas."

He was baiting her, trying to side track her from her purpose.

"Why were you having him follow Magnus then?" She said, steering the conversation back towards her questions.

"I made him a somewhat unorthodox offer and I was rather afraid that he would do something stupid. It turns out my fears were well justified."

"What did you offer him?"

"The same thing I'm about to offer you." Kirei said.

There was a pause in the conversation as Rin's mind worked. Kirei had made Magnus an offer, an offer that he was afraid would prompt rash action. He had him followed as a precaution. And what had Magnus done with the offer? He had come to ask Rin about...

"The Omega Weapon." She said.

Kirei smiled.

"Very clever indeed. Yes, the Omega weapon."

"What is it?"

"What is any weapon? The power to destroy. To hurt. To kill. It was stolen from the Church and now we know it's somewhere here in Valencia. My offer is this: The weapon is powerful enough to give your Servant a distinct edge. It won't guarantee your victory in the war, but it will help. Find it and it's yours until the conclusion of the Grail War; on the condition that you return it to the church upon your victory."

Rin's hopes shot up. With the Omega Weapon she could offset Berserker's inherent weaknesses and have a real chance of winning the War. Still, anything that sounds too good to be true probably is.

"You must be pretty desperate if you're recruiting Mages to find your lost project. What's your angle?"

"No angle. No catch." Kirei shrugged. "To be honest the Omega Weapon isn't terribly important. Just a sideline project underwritten by the Church. We simply want our weapon back and we know mages are good at ferreting out secrets. On the off chance you find it you win the war and return it to us. If you don't happen to find it you lose the war and we haven't lost anything."

"So why make the offer to Magnus first? As you said he isn't terribly bright."

Kirei shrugged.

"I plan on making the same offer to all the Masters. Magnus simply happened to be first. Barthomeloi comes terribly early in the alphabet, you know."

"So I can expect the others to be looking for this weapon as well."

"Naturally."

"So where do I start looking?"

Kirei laughed.

"Child, if I knew that I would simply find it myself and leave the mages out of this."

Rin turned away from the laughing priest without a farewell. He said nothing as she left. Her mind was in turmoil, plans and calculations spilling over themselves. The Omega Weapon presented an alternative to winning the war even with Berserker's weakened state. If she could find it she would have a very real chance of coming out on top. There was also the matter of the Weapon itself. Kirei was obviously lying about its importance. If it was something that could be used against the Mages Association Rin could destroy it after the war instead of returning it to the church. Of course, Kirei would know that. He would also know that she knew that, which meant...

The circular logic was giving her a headache as she got back into the car. Berserker got in stonily beside her as she drove slowly towards the Von Einzbern mansion.


	12. Chapter 11

Rin parked the car and made her way into the house past Shane's various automotive repair projects. There was the motorcycle and the two cars with their engines spilling out across the floor, plus a number of other sundry items strewn about at the back of the garage. There were old toasters, broken television sets, lamps in various states of disassembly. Apparently Shane was quite the handy man. He was also a very neat individual. At first the garage was a dizzying array of hardware and spare parts but a closer inspection showed that each piece was laid out in an organized fashion. Hoses were coiled and neatly stacked, nuts and bolts were in labeled bins. Tools were meticulously placed in chests.

Rin spent a good half hour poking around looking for any clues about Shane's origins but wasn't able to find anything. She got excited when she detected an extremely faint magical aura emanating from some of the disassembled electronics but the excitement faded when she found the exact same aura permeating everything in the garage and, in fact, the entire house. It was just residual magical energy from the enchanted map Ilya had set up. Rin dropped the handful of washers that she had been examining and thrust her hands into her pockets morosely.

When she made her way into the house proper she found it largely deserted. Ilya and Estavio were nowhere to be found although Melva was busy in the kitchen where Rin had been healed just the night before.

"Where is everybody?" She asked.

Melva was doing something with a paring knife over a steaming pot. She looked over her shoulder with a friendly smile when Rin entered the kitchen and shrugged at her question.

"Senorita Ilya left on an errand later in the afternoon, she took Senor Estavio with her." She said.

Rin was a bit surprised by the formality in her address.

"Senor Estavio? You mean your husband?"

Melva looked surprised but quickly mastered herself with a laugh.

"Ay, yes. We are very old fashioned."

Rin thought it a bit odd but pushed the incident to the back of her mind. She wasn't as familiar with Spanish customs and courtship, perhaps old married couples really did refer to themselves in formal terms. She had more pressing questions. Like many wealthy individuals Rin often found herself ignoring her servants and other hired helpers. It wasn't arrogant or dehumanizing, simply long habit of being waited on that inured her to the presence of servants. It was easy to forget that they went everywhere and saw everything.

"You know Shane, the driver?" She asked.

Melva's face brightened with a smile, her eyes crinkling, and she reached for another potato.

"Ah, yes, Senor Shane. He is a very pleasant young man. Always polite to me and a great help around the house. You know, young men these days can be so disrespectful. It's pleasant to see one with such good manners."

"How long has he worked here in the mansion?"

Melva paused her peeling and tapped a finger against her chin.

"Hmm, four, no, six weeks on Thursday."

Rin was surprised.

"So short? I was under the impression that he had been a member of the household staff for much longer than that."

Melva shook her head.

"Oh, no. He is very new to the household. And from his accent to the country, eh?"

"Do you know where he comes from? What he's doing in Valencia?"

"No, he never talks much about himself. Why, are you interested?" Melva asked. She gave Rin a sly wink.

"You might have to fight Senorita Ilya for him. I think maybe she only hired him to watch him fix cars with no shirt on, eh?"

Melva let out a matronly cackle when Rin blushed down to her roots. She couldn't deny that Shane was attractive, but she didn't _know_ him at all. Add to that what she had just learned at the restaurant: he had likely been lying to her best friend for weeks and had sinister ties to the Burial Agency. Rin was definitely, positively, most emphatically…

"I am definitely, positively, most emphatically, NOT interested in Shane." She huffed. "And Ilya should stay away from him as well. He isn't what he seems."

Melva laid a bony finger alongside her nose and winked at Rin knowingly.

"Ah, but who of us truly are what we seem? Maybe what's important isn't who he was, but who he is, eh?"

The thought gave Rin pause. Hadn't she told Berserker the much same thing just that morning? She gave Melva an odd look but the aged housekeeper had already turned back to her boiling pot. She saw a lot more than she let on.

"Hmph. I'll be in the study." Rin said, and swept out.

…

Rin didn't let her mind dwell on her odd and somewhat embarrassing conversation with Melva. Her mind was always active but she redirected her thoughts from the mysteries of Shane's origin to finding everything she could about the Omega Weapon. With a quick stop in her room to collect a pair of black candles and a magically treated mirror she made her way into the study so she could keep an eye on the enchanted map while she worked.

Before she set to work on the mirror something occurred to her and she turned back to the map. With a brief chant of self hypnosis she cast a light magical detection field over the maps surface. Her brow furrowed in concentration and she grasped around for something to tie the field off to. The only item handy was a wide metal washer in her pocket, probably something she had accidentally picked up from one of Shane's pet projects in the garage. She quickly cast an anchoring spell on it and then tied the anchor to the detection field on the map, tying it off with a low grade movement spell. If everything was working correctly the detection field would sense any magical spikes from the map and make the washer vibrate, a handy little detector that would let her know when the map was going off without having to keep an eye on it.

With that done she lit both the candles and set the mirror up on a desk near the wall. The mirror had already been linked with an aural summoning spell so all Rin had to do was feed a thin stream of prana into it to reactivate it. She stared at her own reflection for several minutes, taking the time to adjust a lose strand of hair. Suddenly her own reflection looked her, smiled, and then spoke in the deep voice of an elderly man.

The enchantment was fairly ingenious. Rendering the image of the person you were speaking to required both a communication spell, a clairvoyance spell, and an illusion spell. By linking the message to the reflection already apparent in the mirror the prana cost of the spell was cut in half and the range was nearly doubled. It was a bit disconcerting to see your reflection speak with someone else's voice but the inconvenience was more than made up for by the benefits of the spell.

"Mistress Rin, what a pleasure to see you, after a fashion!" Her reflection said.

"It's good to see you too, Genjo. You answered quickly, were you already in the archives?" She said back to herself.

She knew that in the matching mirror hanging on the wall of the Tohsaka family archives Gejno, the wizened old records keeper, would see his own image talking with her voice. As a keeper of knowledge and secrets he had been facinating to Rin ever since she was a child. Luckily he was tolerant of a youngsters explorations, making the vast library of Tohsaka files available to her from a very young age. She had always liked him and he had always considered her close to a daughter.

"Oh, I'm always in the archives these days. Someone has to keep the cobwebs away, no?"

Rin smiled briefly before allowing her face to sober.

"Could you find something for me? I need all the Tohsaka family files on something called the Omega Weapon."

Her reflection nodded respectfully to her and then, suddenly, slumped forwards as if asleep. Genjo must have walked away from his mirror leaving nothing for the spell to project. Rin waited several long minutes until he returned, her head popping back up. She saw that her brow was furrowed with concern, the reflection mimicking Genjo's facial features.

"There is no information here about an Omega Weapon, but I did find a file about a Project Omega. Perhaps they are the same thing? It looks like there was a file box in that location but someone has already removed it. More secrets, I fear. There was only a single file left, probably entered after the original document was removed. Would you like me to send it to you?"

Rin nodded.

"Yes, please. How soon can you get it to me?"

"I can haul my old bones down to the post office and have it sent out in the morning. We're nearly seven hours ahead of you, the post has already come and gone. You should get the file tomorrow or possibly the next day."

Rin bit her lip. For a moment Kirei's words echoed with her. 'You mages have some terribly out dated ideas.' If the Mages Association was a little more technically adept Rin could have the file instantly. But she doubted that Genjo would even know what a fax machine looked like, let alone how to use one. She filed the information away in her head. When she returned to the Tohsaka household she would see to it that the Tohsaka family and its agents took a step towards the modern world. Magic could bring about miraculous happenings but Rin was learning more and more that there was no beating technology for minor conveniences.

"Very well," She said out loud. "Send it as soon as you are able."

Her image glanced from side to side before leaning in conspiratorially.

"So, how is the War going?"

"There have been some...complications. But I'm hoping that file holds the key to solving those. I don't know Genjo. Sometimes it seems that..." Rin was interrupted by a sudden movement from her pocket.

She reached into it and drew out the washer that she had enchanted just a short while before. It was vibrating like an egg timer.

"I have to go!" She said, severing the thread of prana that animated the mirror before whirling on the map.

There was a massive spike of magical activity centered over the crowded shopping district. Rin dashed to the hallway and was surprised to catch a glimpse of the night sky out of a window as she passed. Darkness had fallen while she had been working and conversing with Genjo. She stopped at the foot of the stairs and yelled,

"Berserker! Berserker! Quickly, there's something happening down town. Probably a Servant battle, judging by the amount of magical energy. We need to go!"

Berserker thundered down the stairs after her and she dashed out to the car, slamming it into reverse to peel out of the garage before speeding off towards downtown Valencia.


	13. Chapter 12

Rin slammed on the brakes and the car skidded to a stop near one of the many gaudy strip malls in Valencia's bustling downtown shopping district. Berserker got out but quirked an eyebrow at her inquisitively.

"We aren't going to fight," Rin replied to his unspoken question.

"This mission is strictly reconnaissance. It's best if we continue in on foot from here."

Berserker nodded and fell in behind Rin as she hustled off in the direction that the magical disturbance had shown on the map. Whatever it was it couldn't be too flashy. It was dark but not really that late at night, couples on dates and shoppers after late night items were still wandering around. It wasn't as crowded as it would be during the day but hardly deserted enough that a Master would feel comfortable unleashing his Servant there.

After several minutes of fruitless searching Rin pulled Berserker into a small alcove.

"This isn't working. Whatever that magical disturbance was we aren't going to find it just by wandering around here all night. Keep an eye out, I'm going to try something." She said.

She closed her eyes and chanted quickly, pulling on her natural prana supplies to cast a mid level clairvoyance spell. She had several of her mana storage gems with her but she used her native prana whenever possible since it would quickly regenerate. Casting a detection spell this close to another Master was risky. If he had any kind of active magical scan running her spell would pop up like one of the neon signs on the shops around them. However, if her risk paid off and he was casting something else _she _would be the one who found _him_.

"This way." She said and started off again.

She detected two magical beacons on the other side of the strip mall, one weak enough to perhaps be an average magus and one reading as strong as a Servant. Just as they were about to round the corner Berserker stepped forward and put his arm across Rin's path. He held his finger to his lips to indicate silence and then moved stealthily forwards, keeping himself between Rin and danger. Rin followed closely on his heels and peeped around the corner.

They were behind one of the strip malls looking out across a largely deserted parking lot. Loading bays, dumpsters, and stacks of pallets from the shops lined the brick walls of the buildings that framed the large empty space. There were two cars, nondescript dark sedans, parked underneath a streetlamp in the center of the lot. Three figures were standing between the cars having some sort of conference. Two of the figures were talking in low tones which Rin couldn't overhear, their faces shrouded in shadow. She considered using magic but discarded that thought immediately. To cast a spell so close would surely let them know where she was.

On a hunch she blinked her eyes and pulled up her magically enhanced grail vision. She quickly skipped past Berserker's glitched page and Assassin's page with a shudder as she remembered the confrontation. She paused on Lancer's page, realizing that she hadn't taken the time to check it since her meeting with Magnus.

CLASS: Lancer

TRUE NAME: ?

MASTER: Magnus Barthomeloi

WEAPON: Harpoon Spear

NOBLE PHANTASM: ?

CLASS ABILITIES:

Tempered B: The Lancer is resistant to heat based attacks.

Tireless A: The Lancer is not subject to fatigue and can fight indefinitely barring injury.

Military Tactics C: Knowledge of troop movement, logistics, and strategy.

STRENGTH: C

ENDURANCE: A

AGILITH: A++

MAGIC: E

LUCK: E

NOBLE PHANTASM: C

The information on the sheet was interesting. Heat resistance, perhaps to counter the friction caused by Lancer's super speed? Military Tactics, some ancient general? But it was largely irrelevant to the current situation. Rin quickly flipped through to the next five pages. They were all completely blank.

_Damn. So much for my grail vision telling me which of those three are Servants. I suppose it only works once they've revealed themselves. _Rin thought.

But she had detected two magical beacons. One of servant strength centered on the group beneath the street lamp. And the other, fainter one. It had emanated from an area that Rin could now see was across the parking lot from the shady conference. Obviously another watcher. She strained here eyes against the darkness, fighting the temptation to use her magic.

"There, on the roof." Berserker whispered.

Rin was surprised that his vision was so sharp with just one eye. Still, he was a Servant. Even an E rank in all of his stats made him stronger than an average human, if not by much. Rin narrowed her eyes until at last she spotted what Berserker had seen, a crouched figure silhouetted against the moonlight. Rin's blood chilled. Could it be Assassin, waiting for the right time to strike? No, his Presence Concealment ability would have prevented him from showing up on Rin's scan at all. A Burial Agent, maybe even Carlos the Wolf himself? Then why would he read like a mage?

While she was puzzling out the new developments Rin focused her attention on the three men in the parking lot just in time to see the two who were standing side by side pass something off to the third man, a heavy manilla envelope by the looks of it. Suddenly an idea formed in Rin's mind. If she could provoke them into a confrontation she could at least get the Servants to reveal themselves. If she was really lucky they would do battle and the victor would be weak enough for Berserker to finish off.

With baited breath Rin reached out a hand and started threading a needle thin stream of prana along the ground towards the three. It was virtually impossible to cast a spell from one location and have it appear to originate from another, any spell that you use to mask what you're doing will be detected instead of the spell you're trying to mask. But if Rin could get a link of prana to the right location without it being detected...It was risky and if anyone noticed it they would know exactly where she was hiding. Rin's gamble paid off though and she managed to get a prana link beneath one of the cars without anyone noticing.

The next part was going to be tricky. The link was only strong enough to cast a very weak spell, and as soon as she cast it the string of prana that lead back to her would light up. She just hoped that the magical fallout from the spell and the ensuing confusion would allow her to make good on her escape. She held her breath as she forced a nugget of prana down the conduit that she had formed. It raced to the end of the line and then ruptured into an air blade spell, neatly slashing all four tires of the car from underneath.

The result was immediate. The tires burst loudly and all three conspirators jumped. More importantly than the popped tires was the magical aura that any mage would be able to detect as an attack.

"It's trap!" One of the figures cried loudly in a thick Russian accent. "Kill him!"

He dove over the hood of the intact sedan and as he did so his face passed into the light. Rin recognized him. Kirill Roschenko, the up-and-comer from a minor Russian family. The Roschenko lineage was tangentially related to the Edfelts by blood but they offered them no allegiance. They had a reputation amongst the Mages Association as mercenaries and enforcers with strong ties to the Russian mafia. Rin didn't know Kirill except by reputation, a dangerous mage who killed whenever it suited him.

"Kirill." She hissed under her breath.

"Who?" Berserker whispered.

"I'll fill you in later. For now we need to move, that spell will lead them right to this spot eventually."

Berserker nodded and led the way towards a nearby service ladder with access to the roof. It was secured with a grating designed to keep vandals from climbing it and secured with a padlock. Berserker smashed it open with a nearby rock and motioned for Rin to precede him. Within a couple of moments they were on the roof with a good vantage point and an easy avenue of escape should they be spotted.

The scene in the parking lot was quickly deteriorating. Kirill had ducked into cover behind the car while the remaining two conspirators circled each other warily, keeping the lamp post between them.

As if on cue they both leaped backwards. A bath of otherworldly orange light filled the empty parking lot as they called on their powers and after a surge of Grail energy they both stood in their full Servants regalia.

Kirill's servant was clad in a dark woolen tunic under a long shirt of ring mail. He had no helmet, his face was stern and handsome with a thick crop of blonde hair and a full matching beard. The rest of his garb was fairly simple, consisting of thick boots and pants cut loose for easy movement. He held a massive, gleaming two handed claymore sword with a heavy pommel and intricate carvings all along its blade. He looked like a viking warrior that had strode from a picture book, proud and tall.

The other servant was taller still but much thinner, altho his frame was made all of wiry muscle. He had the long facial features and reddish skin commonly associated with Native American Indians. His hair was black and strait, cut in a short mane that came down to his shoulders. Feathers and beads were worked into it giving him a tribal appearance. He was bare chested, wearing only a tasseled pair of leather breeches that gave him the appearance of a stereotypical Indian brave. Across his back was strapped a wooden longbow.

Quickly Rin pulled up their reports in her Grail vision.

CLASS: Saber

TRUE NAME: ?

MASTER: Kirill Roschenko

WEAPON: Longsword

NOBLE PHANTASM: ?

CLASS ABILITIES:

Magic Resistance C: Cancel spells with a chant below two verses.

Dragonslayer: Grants a bonus to combat against mythical beasts.

Bravery B: Negates mental interference.

STRENGTH: A

ENDURANCE: B

AGILITH: C

MAGIC: E

LUCK: D

NOBLE PHANTASM: B

CLASS: Archer

TRUE NAME: ?

MASTER: ?

WEAPON: Bow

NOBLE PHANTASM: ?

CLASS ABILITIES:

Independent Action B: The Archer can survive without prana for an extended period of time.

Battle Continuation B: The Archer remains at full strength despite injury or the length of battle.

Disengage B: The Archer can return the conditions to what they were at the beginning of the fight.

STRENGTH: D

ENDURANCE: A

AGILITH: A

MAGIC: C

LUCK: D

NOBLE PHANTASM: D

Rin's quick scan was interrupted as Kirill called out.

"What are you waiting for, attack!"

In a split second Saber charged, sword held high. Rin expected Archer to dodge out of the way but he didn't, instead ducking forwards under the blow and unlimbering a pair of tomahawks from his belt. With the grace of a hunter he parried Saber's devastating blow, sending the massive longsword cleaving into the asphalt. It was only trapped there for an instant but that was plenty of time for Archer to quickly circle and drive both of his tomahawks into Saber's flank.

Saber grunted, tore his sword free, and let lose with a wild backhanded swing. There wasn't much chance of it connecting but it did what it was intended to, sent Archer dancing back several steps and gave Saber a little room to maneuver. Rin could see two tiny gashes where Archer's attacks had connected altho they were much smaller than she had expected them to be. Puzzled, she pulled up Saber's report once more and was surprised to see that a new item had appeared in the Class Abilities section.

Damage Reduction B: All attacks are reduced by three ranks.

This told her that the status reports she saw could be altered and updated as she saw more of a servant's capabilities. They didn't give the whole picture right off the bat. It also told her that unless Archer had some ace up his sleeve there wasn't much chance of him winning. He simply didn't have enough power to deal damage to Saber consistently. There was a crash of steel on steel from below and Rin focused back on the fight. She quickly reassessed Archer's chances.

He was like a ghost, flitting back and forth, never standing still for the time it would take one of Saber's devastating attacks to hit. He took advantage of how unwieldy a massive weapon like Saber's sword would be at extreme close range, either fighting right beside him or backing off out of range to send an arrow or two to compliment his assault. He switched from his bow to his twin tomahawks and back faster than Rin could follow, alternating between ranged and melee attacks as he kept Saber either too far or too close to do any damage.

Against a less agile servant Saber would destroy them in minutes. Against Archer he simply couldn't land a blow while Archer was able to skip in and out, landing a nick here and a cut there. Already Saber was bleeding from a dozen small wounds. How long would it take Archer to wear him down? And could Saber get in one lucky swing before that happened? It turned out to be a moot point.

Kirill leaped up onto the hood of the car in a rage as he saw his Servant being chipped away at. He tore the sleeve back from his forearm, revealing the deep red tattoo of his command seals. He held them up like a ward.

"Saber, use your Noble Phantasm!"

Saber grinned and for the first time Archer hesitated, unsure if he should weather the coming assault from within Saber's defenses as he had been or to back out of range. He opted for the cautious route and danced back several steps. It didn't matter.

"GRAM, COME TO ME!" Saber cried, thrusting his sword towards the heavens. The blade began to emanate a deep blue glow. He paused for a split second, his gaze fixed on Archer, and then he swung.

A massive explosion rocked the parking lot. Rin didn't even have time to throw up a shield, she was slammed off her feet and thrown backwards. The building behind where Archer had been standing was blasted into smithereens. Rin sat up, head shaking, ears ringing, blood streaming from her nose. She coughed in the rising debis cloud that was mushrooming above where Saber stood.

"What was...what was that?" Berserker asked, pushing himself to his knees beside her. It took Rin a moment but eventually she regained her senses. She quickly brought up Saber's report, filling in the blanks.

TRUE NAME: Sigurd

NOBLE PHANTASM: Gram

Type: Anti-Army

Description: Gram was struck deep into the heart of Barnstokkr by the gods and then pulled forth by a mighty hero. It was shattered and then reforged for Sigurd to slay the dragon Fafnir. The blade is so sharp that it can cleave the very atomies of reality, releasing their energy.

Rin read the description and then read it again. Saber was the legendary Sigurd of the Nibelungenleid_**. **_His blade was Gram, gifted to his father by Odin himself. And it was sharp enough to cut atoms in half causing mini nuclear fission explosions.

"We need to go. Right now." She said.

"Did Archer survive?" Berserker asked.

"I don't see how he could, but I think it would be best not to find out."

"And the man in black who was watching?"

That gave Rin a moments pause but then she hurried Berserker towards the ladder.

"Whoever he is, he's either dead or running. Just like we should. We need to get home, there's a lot to think about." She said.

The explosion had sent crowds of screaming people scattering from the vicinity. It was easy to get lost in the crowd as Rin and Berserker made their way back to the car.


	14. Chapter 13

Rin awoke puffy eyed and groggy when a ray of morning sunshine finally flittered its way into her room. She had been an early riser ever since she was a girl and over sleeping always made her feel like she'd wasted the day. A quick glance at her clock told her that it wasn't yet noon, but it was definitely much later than she was used to getting up. She shuffled blearily into the bathroom and ignored the disheveled apparition of bed head and rumpled pajamas that glared at her judgmentally in the bathroom mirror.

_It's alright. If I'm going to stay up at all hours of the night chasing Servants I guess I'm going to have to get my beauty sleep in sometime. _She rationalized to her self.

She refreshed herself with a quick shower and by the time she swept down the stairs she was just as in control of herself as ever. She was also ravenously hungry. Luckily Melva was in the kitchen doing dishes, the clatter of plates and pots giving the house a homey feel. She had saved Rin a plate of scrambled eggs which she reheated in the microwave. They were a little rubbery from sitting out but Rin wolfed down every bite.

"Where's Ilya?" She asked when she had finished, daintily dabbing at the corners of her mouth with a napkin. The act was somewhat incongruous considering the gusto with which she'd been shoveling in food just seconds before.

"The last I saw she was still out in the garage." Melva replied absentmindedly, humming to herself over the clink of china as she worked.

Rin's eyes narrowed and she thanked Melva for the meal, hurrying off to find her friend. She was greeted by a gale of laughter when she entered the garage. Ilya and, to Rin's surprise, Estavio were both there. Estavio was hunched over the workbench, his knobbly hands tinkering with what looked like a transistor radio. Ilya was sitting on a stool swinging her legs and giggling like a schoolgirl. She didn't notice until he spoke but Shane's legs were sticking out from under one of the broken cars that was up on jack stands. Mechanical ratcheting sounds could be heard as he tinkered with it.

"...Talk about bad luck. Anyway, I made it to about twenty miles outside of Kansas City before the blasted thing broke down for good. Pushed the car until I found a little...could you hand me that?" He said, pointing to a tool that was lying on the floor out of his reach.

Ilya jumped up and brought it to him, beaming.

"Thanks kiddo. So I pushed the car until I found a little auto parts..."

"Rin!" Ilya interrupted as she spotted Rin, jumping up and rushing forwards to throw her arms around her friend's waist.

"Are you okay? Shane told me all about what happened at the restaurant! I'm so glad you didn't get hurt!" She burst out.

There was the sound of wheels on concrete as Shane rolled himself out from under the car. Rin glared at him over Ilya's shoulder and he gave her a guilty looking grin.

"Oh yeah?" She asked, hugging Ilya back but still glaring at Shane. "What did he tell you?"

"About the attack? He said you went in by yourself, _by yourself! _And that the Servant attacked you before he and Berserker could get there. It's just a miracle that Burial Agent was there to put a stop to to things!" Ilya said.

"And how does mister Shane Rowe know about Burial Agents." Rin asked flatly.

Ilya paused.

"Well...erm, I suppose you could have told him?" She guessed.

"Can I talk to you for a second? In _private._" Rin said, her eyes shooting daggers at Shane as she pulled Ilya out into the hallway.

"What do you really know about Shane? Who he is, where he comes from?" She asked tersely.

Ilya pulled her arm free sourly and spun around, crossing her arms in a huff.

"He's from America, if you must know. He's an auto mechanic or a handyman or something like that. He came here to look for work. He's good with his hands, he's always polite, he likes old movies, and _I saw him first!_" She whirled back, pointing an accusative finger at Rin.

Rin took a step back, her hands held up in surrender.

"What are you talking about?" She asked.

Ilya clapped her hands to her cheeks. A dreamy expression floated onto her features.

"He's strong and funny and he looks great in a tank top. I'm gonna wear him down and warm him up and then, before he realizes what's happening, BAM!" Ilya slapped her tiny fist into her palm, an absolutely fiendish look on her delicate features. "I'll make him my boyfriend!"

Despite the seriousness of the situation Rin couldn't help but laugh. She covered her mouth with her hands trying to keep from giggling. Ilya stalked forwards and thumped her finger against Rin's chest as she spoke.

"And just _what_ is so funny?" She demanded.

Her tiny impotent fury was too much and Rin broke down in peals of laughter.

"You! You sound like you're hunting for turkeys, not trying to entice a boy. Besides, isn't Shane a little old for you?"

Ilya crossed her arms and turned up her nose with a humph, refusing to look at Rin.

"I'm sixteen now, Rin. I'm old enough to have a boyfriend if I want to."

Rin mastered herself and looked Ilya up and down.

"Yes, I suppose you are." She said thoughtfully.

"I'm sorry I said that, you've grown into a beautiful young woman. I'm sure you could get anyone to be your boyfriend if you wanted them to. But not Shane, okay?"

Ilya looked surprised and pleased at first but then her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Why notShane? I'm telling you, I saw him first. You can't have him."

Rin was completely serious now, concern for her friend overriding the levity of the moment before. Ilya's words took her by surprise

"What? I-I-I'm not interested in him l-like that. He's dangerous. There's something he's not telling us. For one thing I'm pretty sure Shane isn't his real name."

"What would it be then?" Ilya asked, a note of uncertainty in her voice.

"Let's find out." Rin said. She turned back to the garage with Ilya on her heels.

Shane was leaning back up against the car waiting for them, obviously expecting what was coming. Estavio had left while Rin and Ilya were talking.

"Sooooo, uh, what's going..." He began.

"Quiet! We'll ask the questions here." Rin interrupted him.

"Shane isn't your real name, is it?" She asked, hands on her hips. Ilya looked back and forth between the two of them uncertainly.

Shane held her gaze for a long moment and then broke into an awkward grin, scratching at the back of his head guiltily.

"No." He said sheepishly.

"Well, what is it then? You told me your name was Shane Rowe. That Burial Agent called you Samuel. You got upset when I called you Shirou. Which is it?"

Hostility rose in her voice as he admitted his deception. Rin was getting angrier and angrier. Not only had he been fooling her friend but he had lied to her!

"It's..." He paused for a long moment, seemingly lost in thought. He looked at Ilya and then at Rin for a long moment. Just as she was beginning to think he wouldn't answer he seemed to come to a decision. His face grew stern and he nodded to himself.

"It's Shirou." He said with an air of finality.

Rin narrowed her eyes. She knew that he was using an alias so his cover was blown. But was he telling her his real name? Or was he just picking one of the options that he knew she was aware of to make her _think_ that he had told her his real name? Feints within feints, deception within deception. Still, there would be no way of finding out for sure if he had simply lied again until she found out more about him.

"But why lie about your name?" Ilya asked. She was obviously distraught by the new turn of events, finding out that her crush had been lying to her.

"Neither of us know you, who are you hiding from?"

Shirou broke into one of his trademark grins and spread his hands.

"Maybe I'm a super hero." He said jokingly.

"Don't make light of the situation!" Rin snapped. "Who are you really, _Shirou_?" She asked, putting a biting emphasis on his name.

He took a deep breath.

"Okay, okay. I'm...oh jeez. This always sounds so ridiculous when I say it out loud. I'm a paranormal investigator. An occult detective. I travel around tracking down sources of the supernatural and preventing them from harming civilians. That's how Carlos knows me. We were both chasing after the same lesser Zaebos demon a couple years back and ran across each other. Ended up teaming up to take it down. I use a false name as a matter of course, to protect myself and anyone that meets me. You can think of me as sort of a freelance Burial Agent 'cept I don't do what I do to serve the church. I just wanna help people."

It was a little hard to swallow but his words rang true. It explained his odd behavior, why Carlos the Wolf had called him by name, and even why he hadn't seemed surprised when he found out Rin and Ilya were mages. Rin still didn't trust Shirou any farther than she could throw him but at least he had a reason for his deception. If he wasn't lying about being a paranormal detective too. But the impression that Rin got was that Shirou was a very earnest person. He really wasn't a good liar, she could see all his emotions writ plain on his face. And deep down she _wanted_ to believe him. She didn't examine why too closely.

"So, _detective,_ why are you here in Valencia? Are you here to interfere with the Grail War?" Rin asked. She kept her voice harsh and full of suspicion, still mockingly emphasizing his self applied title.

"Actually no." Shirou said.

Rin quirked an eyebrow.

"I'm...okay. Look. You trusted me so I'll trust you. But this is super, super secret. Neither of you can tell _anyone _about this, okay?"

Ilya and Rin both looked at each other.

"Nobody!" Shirou insisted.

"Fine. What is it?" Rin snapped back.

"The Grail War is just a coincidence. I'm here after something else, a secret project funded by the Mages Association and spearheaded by the Church. A project that could tip the balance of power across the entire world. It's codenamed Omega and it's some kind of weapon or doomsday device or something. I'm here to find it and destroy it."

Rin carefully kept the shock from her face. The Omega weapon was a collaboration between he Mages Association and the Church? The fact that the two ancestral enemy organizations were working together was shocking enough. But that Shirou would know about it? That the weapon would be in Valencia at the same time as the war? That the mysterious church operative Kirei would send the mages to search for it? Too many coincidences. It all smacked of someone pulling strings behind the scenes.

Rin kept all of this out of her voice as she replied casually.

"Yes, Omega. I've heard of it. In fact I'm seeking it myself as a tool to aid me in the War."

It was Shirou's turn to look shocked and, unlike Rin, his emotions were all plainly visible on his face. It took him a moment to master himself before he replied.

"W-well then. I guess it looks like we have the same goal." He said.

"Yes. At least for now." Rin replied. She walked towards him in measured steps, her heels clicking on the concrete floor of the garage. He involuntarily backed up but bumped into the car, pressing his back against it as she advanced on him. Even though he towered a full head above her Rin's icy gaze cowed him.

"But if I find out you're still lying..." Rin said, placing a dainty finger in the middle of Shirou's broad chest.

"I'll have Berserker pull your arms out. Do I make myself clear?"

He gulped. Her face was just inches away from his. She could see the sweat beading on his brow and run down the line of his jaw. She tried not to let that distract her. The moment dragged on, tension vibrating in the air like a string instrument tightened to the snapping point.,

Then, without warning, Shirou beamed a grin and brought up his hand between them.

"Deal." He said. "We'll team up, and you'll hold off on the arm yankin'."

Rin shook his hand cautiously, her eyes still fixed on his and still narrowed in warning. She had no doubt that Shirou intended to use her to find the Omega weapon so he could destroy it, just as she intended to use him to find it so she could wield it. But he was an idiot, and she was a master manipulator. And at the very least she could keep him around. To keep an eye on him. To make sure he didn't betray them. Of course.

Without another word Rin turned on her heel and marched out of the garage, Ilya scurrying after her.

"That was so cool!" She said once they were alone.

"I thought he was going to pass out, you were so scary! I'd hate to get on your bad side. So Rin, what do we do now?" The younger girl asked.

Rin tapped a finger against her bottom lip.

"Now we wait. I have a letter coming that may clear some things up. But in the meantime all we can do is wait."


	15. Chapter 14

It was an odd experience, having nothing to do. Ever since she had arrived in Valencia Rin's life had been a constant maelstrom of turmoil, battle, and suspicion. The lull was disconcerting. She had no leads on Omega until Genjo's letter arrived, she had no intel on the other Masters that would let her either recon or attack them, and unless the map showed a magical spike there was nothing to do but sit on her hands.

Still, Rin had never been a girl to sit idly by when events were afoot. Given her intentions to modernize the Tohsaka family organization she decided that the first step had to be with her. As much as she dreaded it she sat herself down in front of Ilya's archaic computer and set her mind to the task of ferreting out its secrets. She summoned Shirou haughtily and he came as obligingly as ever. Rin's inquisitive mind made her an apt pupil under his tutelage, even if she did have to resist the urge unleash a wave of telekinetic force and slam him across the room.

Rin couldn't recall ever meeting a single person as infuriating as Shirou. She knew exactly why too, not that it helped matters. Everyone that Rin knew was her superior, like her father and the other Lords of the Mages association; her subordinates, even friends like Genjo the records keeper; or her rivals whom she looked down on even more than her trusted servants, people like Magnus and Kirill. Even Ilya had a sort of hero worshiping adoration for her that made her seem more the wide eyed younger sister than a true equal. Shirou didn't fit into any of those boxes. Instead he was something else and Rin had trouble categorizing him.

He didn't seem to take anything seriously, something that the somber minded Rin found flippant and irreverent. His response was always a joke, or a quip, or a jibe. He had a farcical, self deprecating sense of humor, jokingly poking fun at himself as much as he poked fun at Rin. When they were just starting out she asked him to show her the World Wide Web and he chuckled harder and harder the more she pressed him. He had nearly split his sides laughing at her before he told her that she could just say 'the web'. Rin had fumed and turned a cold shoulder on him. Even so, Rin was a fast learner and for all his joking around Shirou was a good teacher.

Rin soon found that to a methodical, organized mind like her own the operations of a computer were relatively simple. She got the impression that Shirou was giving her a watered down version but she also got the feeling that he wasn't an advanced user himself. He showed her all about saving and moving files, how to search the web, and a number of other simple operations. But he couldn't answer her questions about how the computer stored data other than to mumble something about 'disk space' and 'ram'.

While Rin was getting a handle on what could and could not be searched for using the internet she stumbled across a news site and made several shocking discoveries.

The first was the report of another murder that been committed in the port district. The police hadn't released any details except that it matched the profile of the previous four killings in the area. They told the reporter that they had linked the investigations and recommended that all citizens stay indoors after dark. The reporter speculated on the possibility of a serial killer, which the officer refused to comment on. But Rin knew the true cause of the killing. It was Assassin, draining prana from his victims and then dispatching them in the most grizzly way possible. A perusal of the map showed another magical null zone above the address where the fifth murder had occurred, corroborating the theory.

The second and most sobering report was the coverage of the explosion in the down town district the previous night. Several news networks had gotten their hands on it and each seemed to be telling a different story. Some claimed it was terrorists, some a burst gas main. There were reports that police were investigating local gangs and others that the military would be called in to quarantine the area. One report that made Rin's stomach turn over said that there were faint traces of nuclear fallout detected at the scene. No other reports repeated the theory though, and it was one of the smaller networks with a reputation for reporting two headed bat children as breaking news, so Rin breathed a little easier. The point was clear though, it was going to be increasingly difficult to keep the coming servant battles secret from the public, the police, and even the military if things escalated that far.

Apart from her disconcerting discoveries the remainder of the day passed in an idyll. Berserker had made a home for himself in the library. He seated himself beneath a lamp and thumbed his way through a growing stack of books with his scarred fingers, his one good eye roving the pages line after line lost in concentration. Shirou worked in the garage making modifications to one of the cars there. In the space of an afternoon he had reassembled most of the engine, reattached the wheels, and mounted a bulky contraption up on the roof. Ilya followed Shirou like a puppy and, oddly enough, Estavio followed Ilya like she followed Shirou. He exhibited a fatherly and protective air towards her but remained unobtrusive. From his behavior Rin gathered that he had taken it upon himself to chaperone her. Her infatuation was quite obvious to everyone in the house except Shirou himself, much to Ilya's frustration.

For the first time in her life Rin found her self surrounded by friends. Her training in the Clocktower had been a battle of wits and intrigue, constantly maneuvering for an advantage over the other prospective acolytes. Her life in her father's household was similar, working to make a place for herself amongst her father's lieutenants. It was oddly freeing to be in the house with Ilya's laughter, Shirou's good natured irreverence, and Berserker's concerned stoicism. There was nobody to make demands of her or judge her. Except herself.

_I can't let it distract me._ She thought, lassoing herself back into reality. _This is a war, not a vacation._

Still, she found herself drawn to the garage where Shirou and Estavio worked and Ilya watched. They talked and laughed the afternoon away. Rin's icy formality seemed a barrier to her but as the afternoon wore on she felt more and more at ease wither her childhood friend and her household staff. No, that wasn't exactly right. The truth was Rin felt more and more at ease with her friends. All of them. By the time the sun began to set and the sky took on that hazy, liquid quality that heralds nightfall Berserker and Melva had joined them as well. Shirou told them stories about his travels, Melva gossiped with Ilya, Shirou and Estavio shot automotive lingo back and forth that went right over Rin's head. She even saw Berserker sporting a muted smile, the edges of his mouth pulling at the scars that cris crossed his face.

As the sun set Rin pushed herself up and bowed to the happy friends seated around the workbench.

"Ah, it's getting late. Me and Berserker have errands to run." She said.

A plan had been formulating in her mind all day. It was a bit of a long shot but still worth following up on. Ilya protested but Estavio laid a hand on her arm and she desisted. The gesture surprised Rin. For a servant Estavio seemed to have a very large influence on her friend. She supposed that Ilya looked up to him as something of a surrogate father figure. She didn't know much about Ilya's home life but if it was anything like her own she probably hardly saw her father at all, and never in a familial way. Such was the life of an heiress of a magical empire.

Ilya and Estavio shuffled out along with Melva, the three of them dispersing as they headed through the house towards their bedrooms. Rin found it odd that Melva and Estavio didn't share a room but she supposed it was just because they were so old fashioned.

Shirou stood up as well, yawning and shaking himself.

"Yeah, guess it's about time for me to head out too. I'm gonna go patrol down by the dock area, maybe get a glimpse of what our buddy Assassin is up to."

Rin's head whipped around.

"What?" She said.

"Well, he's the only one that seems to be operating in a particular area. That makes him the only Servant that we can really track down." Shirou replied.

Rin's brow furrowed.

"That's not what I meant. He's a _Servant_, not some misbegotten conjure. He'd kill you in an instant. There's nothing to gain from fighting him now. He's too powerful. What tactical advantage could we possibly get from fighting him?"

Shirou looked surprised.

"Tactical advantage? Rin, he's _killing _people. I'm not gonna sit idly by and let that happen." He said resolutely.

"Y-you idiot!" Rin raged. "If you fight him he'll kill _you,_ and then what good will you be to...to anyone?"

"I'm not gonna fight him. Check this out." Shirou said, his face splitting into an excited grin.

He led Rin over to the car he had been working on throughout the day. He had gotten it back in working condition and then mounted a massive contraption on the roof. It looked like a public address system except instead of loud speakers it had a series of reflectors and halogen tubes. Shirou reached in through the car window and flicked a switch. Rin was instantly blinded. The car lit up like a torch. Spotlights, shop lamps, and light bulbs illuminated the garage like it was broad daylight. Shirou had rigged up a mobile ultra-bright light source.

"Okay, that's actually pretty clever." Rin admitted.

"But it won't do you any good. Assassin only needs the shadows to fuel his special abilities. Even without them he would be more than a match for you. He's a Servant. Even without his tricks he's stronger, faster, and far more deadly than anything you've faced."

"Well I can't just sit around here while-"

"You can and you will!" Rin shouted, interrupting him.

Berserker placed a stern hand on Shirou's shoulder and shook his head. Shirou looked back and forth between Rin and her Servant, his expression one of baffled frustration. Eventually he threw up his hands.

"Fine. But if Assassin kills again it's on your head. I'm goin' to bed." He growled as he stormed out.

Rin stamped her foot in anger as Berserker rejoined her.

"Is it wise to antagonize him?" He asked once Shirou had gone. "He may be our only lead to the Omega weapon."

"We're _his _only lead too. Besides! It's not like I care what that...that nitwit thinks. Let's go!" Rin huffed.

Shirou had a way of making her angry no matter what he did.

...

She took the Bentley and drove in silence, re-tracing the route that they had taken to meet Magnus. The Restrurante de Lujo was still closed after the battle within, its doors criss crossed with yellow police tape. A quick scanning spell showed that there was nobody inside but Rin still beckoned for Berserker to be cautious as she snuck inside. Magnus would to have had a reservation. And that meant...

Ah. The log book that the maitre'd had on her lectern was still there, undisturbed by the rush to escape. Rin quickly flipped through until she found the most recent page and scanned downwards until she saw the name Barthomeloi. And right next to it a phone number.

_Bingo. _Rin thought.

With that she could track down where Magnus was staying. If she could find his base of operations in the city she would have a distinct advantage over him. They made it back out side and away from the restaurant without any trouble.

_Why can't everything be this easy? _She thought as she drove home. _If only picking up vital intelligence on our enemies could be as easy as popping down to the corner store for a bottle of milk _all _the time. _

But her knuckles tightened and she slammed on the brakes as the Bently swung back into the garage.

Shirou's modified light car was gone.


	16. Chapter 15

Rin cursed under her breath as she slammed the car into reverse and roared back out of the driveway. The dark sky glowered down on her just as she glowered over the steering wheel. The darkness was all too poignant a reminder of how suicidal it would be to face Assassin alone.

"What was he _thinking?_ There's nothing to gain from fighting Assassin except to get himself killed." Rin growled, tightening her grip on the steering wheel.

"Perhaps Shirou doesn't think in terms of what he has to gain." Berserker replied in his quiet bass. "He thinks in terms of what he has to lose. You heard what he said. He's not fighting to win, he's fighting to stop Assassin from hurting any more people."

"Don't you take his side on this." Rin warned, her anger adding a bite to her words that she regretted. Her tone softened somewhat.

"Protecting people is all well and good, but to do so at the cost of your own life is stupid. To die yourself just to save one person is irrational."

Berserker turned his face away, staring out the window as the houses rushed past.

"I suppose that depends on who you're saving." He said, an unreadable quality tingeing his words.

Rin gave him an odd look but didn't pursue the issue.

Some minutes later Berserker spoke again.

"Why does he make you so angry? He's not your lackey or your charge. So much anger is usually only provoked by enemies or lovers." He said. His voice still held that odd quality, like uncertainty or a hint of old bitterness. A throwback to some lost memory? Or…

Rin's knuckles whitened as her grip on the wheel tightened in surprise. Could Berserker be jealous Shirou? It made a certain amount of sense. Berserker was her Servant, her partner, but she was spending an awful lot of concern on Shirou. He had inside information on Omega, Berserker had no memories. Shirou was strong and determined and, even though Berserker was stronger than Shirou physically, he was much weaker than a Servant should be, crippled by Rin's botched summoning.

But Rin felt the issue went deeper than that. Berserker's comment about enemies or lovers seemed too specific and personal to be mere banter. Could it be that Berserker had feelings for her? The thought wasn't too farfetched now that Rin thought about it. He was her protector, her guardian. The summoning linked them and they had been through a lot together. Facing danger hand in hand fosters a closeness that few other relationships can match. But Rin simply didn't know Berserker well enough to know if she could have feelings for him. He was too quiet, kept too much inside. And what about Shirou? She was certainly attracted to him, that much she could admit to herself. But she knew even less about him than she did about Berserker.

Rin kept her eyes focused on the road, a dim feeling of confusion and misery settling over her. Why did everything have to become so complicated? Her life had been so simple a week ago. Go to Valencia, win the Grail war, earn the respect and admiration of her father. Easy like pie. Now she found herself in a love triangle, two love triangles? Love quadrangle? With her Servant, her best friend and her…what? What was Shirou to her? Friend? Pawn? Rival? Once again she didn't have a box to put him in. Tactics and magical theory was what she did well. Matters of the heart was…not.

Thankfully her musings were interrupted. A pillar of light shot upwards into the night sky from several blocks away like a beacon. Rin floored the gas pedal when she realized what that meant. Berserker pricked up besides her as well in anticipation for battle. A deep sense of foreboding nestled in Rin's stomach as they raced towards where Shirou was surely locked in battle with Assassin. It grew and grew until it was a gibbering panic threatening to overwhelm Rin. She chided herself and reminded herself that it was just Assassin's supernatural fear aura. Still, that didn't make the terror any less.

They rounded the last corner with a squeal. The scene was just as bad as Rin had expected. The light car was parked at an awkward angle halfway up on the curb. The hood was wrapped around a street light that Shirou had apparently crashed into. The bulky spotlight apparatus on the roof was still functioning, sending beams of light out in all directions. It only served to highlight the macabre scene.

The bottom of Rin's stomach dropped out when she saw Assassin but she fought off the sudden rush of terror that filled her. He was standing in the middle of the road holding Shirou aloft by the throat one handed. His other hand held a long slender knife cocked back to strike. Shirou's hands clutched at Assassins, his feet cartwheeled helplessly trying to reach the ground. They both paused when the Bentley came screeching around the corner, Assassin staring at them with a look of annoyance and Shirou with one of suddenly renewed hope. They stared each other down for half a heartbeat and then Rin hit the accelerator. A flick of Assassin's wrist would end Shirou's life and Rin didn't have anything but the car that would separate them fast enough.

Her maneuver didn't work exactly as she'd planned.

Assassin cackled in his disconcerting titter and flung Shirou forward before diving out of the way. With the light car sending beams of radiance piercing through the night he couldn't use his shadow stride or presence concealment but he still possessed all the strength and agility of a fully fledged Servant. Rin slammed on the brakes but the car had too much momentum. Shirou smashed into the windshield with enough force to shatter it, sending a spiderweb net of cracks through the safety glass. The car lurched to a halt and Shirou rolled off the hood onto the ground where he lay unmoving.

Like a bolt of lightning Berserker threw open the passenger door and leaped out to engage Assassin. He was clearly out matched but he fought on. He was bare handed and with nothing to block or parry with his forearms were soon ribbon-ed with defensive wounds. Assassin took his time, circling the group slowly and every so often darting in to try and get past Berserker. Berserker kept himself between Assassin and Rin, absorbing his blows and maneuvering for an opening that he knew he could never take advantage of against the stronger, faster servant.

Dimly aware of the one sided melee taking place behind her Rin rushed around the opposite side of the car to where Shirou had fallen.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. Are you alright?" She said in a rush as she went to his side.

He pushed himself up to his elbows, groaning and squeezing his eyes closed.

"Oh crud, that hurt...couple ribs...think they're cracked..." Shirou grunted through gritted teeth.

"Quickly, we need to get out of here." She said urgently, hauling him to his feet.

Shirou pushed himself up with a groan, one arm flung over Rin for support. Behind them Assassin hissed in frustration as he saw his prey escaping. Without his teleportation he would have to go through Berserker to get to them.

"Very well then." He spat venomously.

"If that is your wish, I will show you the face of hell!"

He lowered his shoulder and bull rushed Berserker. For an instant Rin though that he had made a vital tactical mistake. Assassin relied on agility to avoid blows, in a close combat grappling situation Berserker might just stand a chance. Berserker saw the same opening and lunged forwards to meet with his opponent. Assassin's features animated with a sly grin and with a flourish two antique style straight razors materialized in his hands. Rin cried out a warning but it was too late, Berserker was already withing Assassin's trap.

Ducking under Berserker's guard Assassin reached back with both hands and viciously slashed his hamstrings. Suddenly unable to support his weight Berserker tumbled to his knees, the grunt that came from his stoic throat was as good as a scream of agony from a less disciplined man. Berserker kneeled there in his own blood, staring up at his death with a defiant grimace. But instead of slashing his throat with his shining razors Assassin let them clatter to the ground. He pounced on Berserker and seized him by the temples, his fingers claw like. There was a dark vortex of grail energy and Berserker began to convulse, his eyes rolling back into his head.

"What's he doing to him?" Shirou asked urgently.

Reflexively Rin pulled up her Grail vision. A new entry wavered into view.

Noble Phantasm: From Hell

Type: Anti Unit

Description: Assassin sends the target to a realm of eternal suffering. Once there they experience the agony of all of Assassin's victims simultaneously. Once this attack kills the target its suffering is added to the attack and all subsequent uses are doubled in potency. This ability is not exclusive to itself and will grow exponentially in power as the Assassin kills targets.

_The murder victims..._Rin realized. Each of the women Assassin had killed was to charge up his Noble Phantasm. The first had doubled the power, the second had quadrupled it, the third had made it eight times as strong. By the fifth victim it would be thirty two times as potent. And all that destructive energy was currently being channeled through Berserker's temples. Even as she watched deep rends began to form in his flesh, knife strokes inflicted on Assassins victims being transferred onto his body. She felt paralyzed but Shirou galvanized her into action.

"Get in the Bentley! I'm going to use the light car!" He shouted, snapping her out of her catatonia and pushing her into the drivers side of the car.

Her fingers numbly fumbled with the keys before she realized that the light car wouldn't do any good. Hadn't that already been proven? Rin's heart froze when she suddenly detected a second burst of magical energy behind her. _Assassin's master! Of course he won't sit by and let us escape while Assassin is busy with Berserker! _She spun around in the driver's seat but the only person behind her was Shirou, sprinting towards the light car.

_What..._Rin thought in confusion.

Her eyes widened. Shirou skidded to a halt in front of the car and quickly bent to hook his hands underneath the bumper. He groaned with effort and the metal of the car groaned and twisted under the sudden stress. Then, with a final heft, Shirou lifted the entire car over his head. He stood there for an instant like some absurdly top heavy toy, his feet splayed wide for balance, his muscles straining under the car that he held aloft. Assassin looked up with a flabbergasted expression on his narrow features.

"Catch THIS!" He bellowed and hurled the car at Assassin.

Assassin was too shocked to move and the car caught him full in the chest, smashing him backwards and jerking his hands away from Berserker. Shirou sprinted forwards, his arms and legs pistoning to a superhuman blur. He radiated magical energy in quantities that Rin didn't think possible, certainly more than any mage should be able to handle without injuring themselves. Perhaps even more than Rin herself, jewels included. He threw Berserker over his shoulder like a rag doll and then made a beeline for the car. Suddenly remembering herself Rin sent the engine roaring to life and threw the passenger side door open. Shirou dumped Berserker in the seat and then dove in himself.

"Go, go!" He yelled and Rin obliged, jamming on the accelerator and peeling out as she rocketed away from the grizzly scene.

There was blood everywhere and the lingering effects of Assasin's fear aura still couded her mind. Berserker was in bad shape. And they had no idea if Shirou's attack had merely knocked Assassin back enough for an escape or if had crushed his body entirely. But the only one that drew Rin's gaze was Shirou. She stared at him agape, her mouth opening and closing like a beached fish. Eventually she summoned the mental faculty to speak.

"What...how..." She stuttered.

Shirou was panting, covered in grime and blood, and injured in half a dozen places. He still managed one of his trademark grins.

"What? I _told_ you I was a super hero."


	17. Chapter 16

Shirou stumbled out and pulled the passenger door open. He grabbed Berserker by the wrist and pulled his arm over his shoulder.

"Come and gimme a hand." He grunted under the weight of the Servant and his own broken ribs.

Rin rushed to Berserker's other side and threw his other arm over her shoulder as well. Between them they half dragged, half carried the massive Servant into the mansion. To her surprise Rin detected a faint magical aura emanating from Shirou. It was similar to the one that had burst forth when he had lifted the car but much less powerful, more along the lines of what she would expect from an ordinary magus. Rin surreptitiously reached out with her magical senses to try and figure out what kind of magecraft Shirou was using. If he noticed her magical probing he gave no sign. To her surprise the spell was relatively simple, even if he was using it in a way that Rin had never encountered. It was simple fortification magic. Shirou was fortifying his body's toughness, just as he had fortified his strength during the fight. It was probably the only reason he was still on his feet.

They passed through the massive double front doors and once again carried Berserker into the kitchen. This time Ilya and the others were waiting for them.

"What happened?" Ilya asked, tremulous concern audible in her voice.

"We saw a massive spike on the map and you were gone, I was just about to come out looking for you!"

"We had a run-in with Assassin. It didn't end well." Rin replied grimly as they laid Berserker out on the table.

Shirou quickly grabbed a pair of kitchen shears and slit Berserker's pant legs up the side, pulling the fabric away to reveal his wounds.

"Crud, this is bad. We need to get him to a hospital." He said.

"A hospital won't do anything." Rin replied, trying to keep the despair out of her voice.

She could feel Berserker's life ebbing through her link to him.

"I...I don't think I can heal all of this." She said miserably.

She was determined to try though. She pulled out all of the mana gems that she had available and channeled through them, weaving the most powerful healing spell that she could. There was too much damage for a blanket approach so she directed the healing energies like a scalpel. First she repaired the two deepest cuts, the massive slashes to Berserker's legs. At least if he survived he wouldn't be crippled. If he survived. The rest wasn't so easy. All of the other cuts had been magically inflicted and resisted the healing energies. Rin had to focus twice as hard for half the effect. She closed the deepest wounds and had started pulling together some of the cuts to Berserker's torso when she felt something go slack within her like an empty sack. The glow from her mana gems winked out, they were completely drained.

She could feel Berserker continue to fade away.

"No, NO!" She cried. In desperation and despair she thumped her fist down into Berserker's chest.

He jerked upwards with a gasp.

"Rin! I was...when I was...huurng." He choked, blood flecking his mouth.

"Shhh, don't try to talk." Rin said, putting a finger over his lips.

He pulled her hand away, leaving streaks of blood on her sleeve.

"Listen. Assassin. When he sent me there...I saw...I saw...it said Whitechapel."

Rin's eyes widened. A shadowy murderer with ties to Whitechapel St?

"That makes Assassin...Jack the Ripper! That doesn't make any sense. How? He was never famous, never revered. History doesn't even know who he _was_. How could he qualify to be a Heroic Spirit."

"I..I don't." Berserker struggled briefly and then fell back, his chest rising and falling shallowly. Rin bit her lip in anxiety. She could still feel his life fading away. Tears of frustration streaked the blood and grime on her face.

Ilya watched the proceedings wide eyed, tears glistening in her eyes as well. She looked back and forth between Berserker and Rin, her features wavering in uncertainty.

"Oh, Rin, I'm so sorry. My father, he made me promise not to...oh, you won't hate me will you? I just can't stand by while...Caster, can you do anything?"

Rin's head jerked up when she heard Ilya mention Caster. Her eyes flicked to Estavio as he stepped forwards. He rubbed at his chin thoughtfully and then nodded. There was an all too familiar burst of grail energy and his appearance subtly shifted. Rin stared wide eyed. The man before her was still Estavio, but now clad in shimmering robes with a royal purple streak running from shoulder to waist. His slender fingers were folded into his sleeves, his white hair was no longer immaculately combed, instead it fanned out in a wild halo above his head like he had been electrocuted. The look of wisdom in his eye, his protectiveness of Ilya, his estrangement from his "wife" Melva, it all made sense now. He had been Ilya's Servant since the very beginning.

"His natural Servants healing will be more effective than magecraft against these wounds, but he needs time for it to work. I'll leave him mobile through Space but I'll retard his passage through Time." He said.

He stepped forward and threw his hands over Berserker's body. Unidentifiable and unimaginably powerful magic flowed from him over the dying Servant. Rin felt a sudden tug against her link to him as he was put into stasis, a natural consequence of moving through time at a different speed than her Servant.

"Time control! That's True Magic! Who..." She stammered.

Caster glanced at Ilya, who nodded.

"No use hiding anything now." She said.

Caster bowed deeply, his robes drooping.

"Archimedes, at your service."

Rin's head whirled.

"That means that everything...even the map..."

"Yes. It was Ilya's idea, clever girl." Caster said.

"Rather than have me establish a single, powerful Workshop aura here I established the entire city as my workshop. It isn't powerful enough to give me an edge in combat but, as you've seen, it makes for an excellent early detection system."

Rin fell heavily into a kitchen chair.

"It's...it's a lot to take in. Will he...will Berserker be alright?" She asked tremulously.

"I believe he will. I've put him in a state of suspended animation, he shouldn't deteriorate any further until his natural healing has had a chance to catch up." Caster replied.

"I...thank you. Ilya I...just...thank you." She said. She pushed herself to her feet and moved towards the door. Ilya moved to follow but caster laid a knobbly hand on her shoulder.

"Let her go." He said. "She has a lot on her plate."

Rin stumbled out into the hallway. Her world seemed like it was collapsing. So many secrets, so many lies. Why couldn't things be simple? Easy? She was sick of feeling powerless. Sick of having to plan around Berserker's weakness. Did she resent him for that? She did, a bit, and she hated herself for it. She was confused by his feelings for her. And she was confused by her own feelings for...

She heard the kitchen door close softly and whirled. Shirou stood in the darkness of the hallway. His face was shrouded in shadow, she couldn't make out her expression. Rin sniffled and scrubbed a hand across her face, blinking back stinging tears. Shirou!

"Why did you go!" She raged, surging forwards.

She slapped him as hard as she could, the sound echoing through the dark hallway like a gunshot. He didn't retaliate. He didn't say anything. He just stood there, his face turned to the side where her blow had moved it, his eyes downcast. Rin stood there panting, hot tears brimming at the corner of her eyes.

"Answer me, damn it!" She hit him again, pounding her tiny fist against his chest. She may as well have been hitting an oak.

"Why did you go! He could have died!" She screamed, pounding futilely on Shirou's broad chest.

"You could have died." She whispered.

His broad arms rose slowly around her and crossed over her back, pulling her gently forwards. Her blows shortened and then ceased as he pulled her in, her fists pinned against his body by his encircling arms.

"I'm sorry." He whispered into her hair.

The stress, Berserker's injury, the mental exhausting of dealing with Assassin's fear effect, it all came crashing in on Rin. She sobbed against Shirou's chest, trembling in his strong arms for long minutes.

She felt better after she had cried herself out, filled with the empty feelings of release, of letting go. She pulled back slightly to see her face in a mask of mucous and tears on Shirou's shirt. She sniffed and looked up at him. Their faces were inches apart. He didn't move back, she didn't move forwards. They just looked at each other. Her eyes darted between his, looking back and forth between his eyes and his mouth. His lips parted slightly and Rin's breath caught.

"Rin..." He said.

"...Yes?" She asked in a small voice, pushing her self up on her toes.

"You've got snot on you."

Rin blushed furiously and pushed herself away, turning and self consciously scrubbing her sleeve across her face.

"What was that back there? Why didn't you tell me you were a magus?" She asked accusatively when she turned back around.

Rin wasn't even close to ready to begin hacking at the tangled snarl that was her feelings. But a purely mechanical mystery she could deal with.

Shirou quirked an eyebrow.

"Huh? A magus? Do you mean my, uh, powers? That's not magic. It's more like super powers. You saw. I can toss cars around, not pull rabbits out of hats."

Rin's brow furrowed. He didn't seem like he was lying, more like he was genuinely confused. Could it be that he didn't know how his own powers worked?

"No, what you did was definitely magic. But you use it in a way that I've never seen before. And it's _much_ more powerful than it should be. Show me again." She said.

Shirou shifted uncomfortably.

"I...try not to use it for trivial reasons. I don't wanna use it all up."

Rin waved her hand dismissively.

"Oh, don't worry about that. Prana, that's the power that your abilities are using, recharges. Think of it like a cup standing in the rain. It fills up with prana and then you draw a bit of it each time you use your powers. The more you draw at once the more powerful the spell is. Once the cup is empty you have to stop for a while, but it'll eventually fill up again. For some reason you can draw a lot more prana a lot faster than you should be able to."

Shirou still looked dubious but he nodded.

"Okay, if it'll make you happy. Here goes." He said.

Once again Rin picked up a low level fortification spell emanating from Shirou. She focused with her magical senses and was surprised by what she saw.

"This is most unusual. I haven't seen anything like this before. Something about the way you use your powers creates a...a magical lens effect. It focuses your magic on your own body. It means that your magic affects your own body more strongly than it should, but it also means that you probably can't cast spells on external objects. You can use your magic on yourself and it will be way more effective than normal, but you can't use magic on other objects."

Shirou looked surprised.

"No kidding? And it really is magic? Well, son of a gun. I always thought it was a side effect from..." Shirou glanced at Rin but she was too excited about her discovery to notice the odd look that he gave her.

"Toxic waste or radioactive spiders or whatever made me like this. Do you think I'll be able to learn to cast spells like you?" He asked.

Rin frowned.

"I'm not sure, but it isn't likely. That lens effect prevents you from using magic on external objects. Can you tell me how you do that?"

Shirou shook his head.

"It's like walking." He said.

"You don't think 'I'll flex my left quadricept and left hip flexer to raise the leg while simultaneously flexing my right hamstring and calf muscle'. You just...walk. I couldn't tell you _how_ I do what I do. Just that I do."

Rin nodded. Shirou wouldn't be able to compete with a fully fledged Servant even with his self fortification, but between him and Berserker he would give their team an edge. Rin smiled a bit inwardly. She had a team, and it felt good to have people to rely on.

"Well, get some sleep. We have lots to do tomorrow while Berserker is recuperating." She said.

As she turned away to mount the stairs to her room she glanced back one more time over her shoulder. She blushed. Shirou didn't notice since he was checking out her legs again. Rin gave a saucy roll of her hips and headed into her bedroom to clean up.


	18. Chapter 17

The first thing Rin did when she awoke the following morning was to rush down stairs to check on Berserker. He was still laying there on the table, his eyes closed. The expression of agony that had haunted his features the day before had relaxed into a more peaceful mask of sleep. His brow was furrowed as if in concern but the clench toothed, white knuckled expression of the day before was gone. The various cuts and slashes that criss crossed his body had faded somewhat but could still be seen, rends of exposed flesh marring his already over scarred visage.

_What must he have been through? _Rin wondered. _Who was he when he died?_

When his wounds healed it would be difficult to tell that he had ever had them, not because the scars themselves would fade, but because Berserker already had so many scars that the hundreds of cuts he had gotten from Assassin would be nothing but drops in the ocean. How did he get them? His life must have been one of constant strife from infancy. He was worried that he hadn't been a good person. Rin wasn't worried about that at all.

_Despite his feelings he rushed to save Shirou without hesitation. He sacrificed himself to save me from Assassin. No, Berserker, whoever you were then, you are a good man now._

She squeezed his good hand tightly for a moment before she left.

She went in search of Ilya but couldn't find her in her bedroom. However, wherever Shirou was Ilya was sure to be close by. And sure enough she found all three of them in the garage. Shirou was working, as usual, repairing the Bentley where had smashed into it the night before. Rin felt a twinge of guilt but she ignored it with a haughty toss of her head. Hmph! It served him right! Ilya was hovering about watching with a dreamy look in her eyes, listening to his stories and handing him tools out of the tool chest when he called for them. Caster was hunched over his work bench, his gnarled fingers tweaking some experiment or other, a large pair of spectacles making his eyes look owlish.

"Could ya hand me that eight millimeter socket wrench?" Shirou said, reaching behind him for the tool that Ilya held out.

There was a series of mechanical clanks from under the hood and then Shirou stood up, wiping his hands on a shop towel.

"Thanks, kiddo." He said and affectionately tousled Ilya's hair, who blushed.

When she glanced up and saw Rin standing in the doorway she froze. Her eyes darted back and forth between Caster and Rin, a look of frightened uncertainty wide in her eyes.

"Rin, I..."

Caster tensed but Shirou seemed as emotionally oblivious as ever, glancing around in bewilderment at the sudden sparks crackling through the air. Rin recalled Ilya's words from the night before.

_You won't hate me, will you? _

The dynamic between them had changed and Ilya, sweet, impulsive Ilya, feared that their friendship was changed as well. The situation defused as Rin stepped forwards smiling. She put her arms around her friend.

"It's okay." She said. "I understand how heavy the pressure from your family can be. I'm just glad to have an ally in this thing."

Ilya slumped in relief and then beamed happily.

"I'm so relieved! I wanted to tell you since the first day you arrived but I just...I wasn't brave enough. I didn't know what you would do, I didn't know what my father would say. They sent me specifically because of our friendship, they thought it would give me an edge over you. I guess the joke is on them now, huh?"

Rin stared down at the top of Ilya's head, counting the strands of her beautiful white hair as she considered her answer. Caster was far more powerful than Berserker, their alliance would benefit Rin far more than Ilya. And she knew, deep in her heart, that if she wanted to she could get her friend to do anything. Rin's whole life had been spent manipulating people around her to one end or another. Often benignly, and usually for their own good, but she knew she had the potential in her to use Ilya as a vanguard in the Grail War. She knew that she could force Ilya to chose between her family and Rin. Could she do that? How much did she want to win the War? Did she want it enough to use her friend, play on her friendship to get her to fight her battles?

And just as soon as the question came into her mind the answer followed it. Of course she couldn't. Not in a million years.

She took Ilya by the shoulders and looked gravely into her eyes.

"Very well. Let this cement our alliance. But Ilya, you have to realize that even if we win this thing will come down to one of the two of us. I don't want you to sacrifice your standing with your family just for me. And I want you to know that even if we...that no matter how this whole thing turns out, you and I will always be friends."

Ilya's lip quivered and her eyes misted. She hugged Rin back fiercely before straightening up, scrubbing her sleeve across her eyes. She nodded, a determined smile cemented on her features.

"So, what's the plan?"

"For now? We go to the post office." Rin said resolutely.

Ilya looked puzzled but it was Shirou who chimed up.

"The post office? Is one of the other Servants...I dunno, who's a famous post man? Ben Franklin?"

Rin rolled her eyes.

"We aren't hunting a Servant. I'm expecting a letter that may have information relating to the Omega weapon."

Shirou perked up when Rin mentioned the name and she was reminded why he was in Valencia in the first place. He wasn't there for the war like Ilya and Rin, he was there for Omega. He claimed to want to destroy it but there had to be something that he wasn't telling them.

"Oh, well let's go then." He said.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple." Rin said.

"They'll only release the letter to me and I can't go anywhere while Berserker is recuperating."

Caster looked up from his work curiously.

"Why not?" He asked.

"Isn't it obvious? Berserker doesn't have independent action. While he's stuck here I'm stuck here, especially while he's healing. If I go his body could deteriorate even further without my prana to maintain it."

Caster pulled down his glasses and regarded Rin over the frames for a long moment. He gave her a searching look but Rin couldn't fathom what he hoped to find. At length he spoke again.

"Rin, you aren't feeding him any prana. He doesn't need it. He's like me."

Rin's eyebrows lowered in confusion.

"What are you talking about, 'like you'. Like you in what way?"

"Why, in that we both have physical bodies, of course. Didn't you think it odd that he can't appear and disappear at will like a Servant should be able to? Since he's actually _here _physically he doesn't require a constant stream of prana to continue existing. Of course, he'll still need to pull Grail energy through you to fuel his abilities and such, but his basic existence isn't dependent on it."

Rin felt the shock seep through her. Of course! He wasn't drawing nearly as much magical energy as a Berserker class servant should. Rin had assumed it had something to do with his crippled stats and lack of any abilities besides his glitched mad enhancement power. But a physical existence also explained it, along with a number of Berserker's other idiosyncrasies like his need to eat or sleep, perhaps even why the Grail hadn't corrected his amnesia.

"But...how?" She asked.

Caster only shrugged.

"I can tell you all the properties of the seed, but not who planted it. His temporal signature is too disturbed to get a glance into his past. All Servants are the same, otherwise it would be a simple matter of clairvoyance magic to find out their identities."

"You said that you are the same. How do _you _have a physical body?" Rin probed further.

Caster sighed and pulled his glasses off, tossing them onto the work bench and glancing at Ilya who nodded approval. He continued with a wry grin.

"Stupidity, mainly. Lack of common sense. Never assume because you're a brilliant magus that you aren't a complete idiot at the same time. I was experimenting with temporal displacement magic. Speeding and slowing time is child's play. But to stop it entirely? That was my, what's the expression from this period? My Mt. Everest. I spent years experimenting and when I cracked the problem I tried it. On my self."

Rin's face was rife with wonder, not only at Caster's tale but at the raw magical power that he must posess.

"So you were..." She began.

"Frozen in time." Caster finished with a chuckle.

"I set the spell to freeze myself for five minutes. Of course, when time is stopped for you personally five minutes becomes an eternity. I was like a piece of drift wood caught in an eddy on the river of time, and the world left me behind until a large enough temporal disturbance shook me loose."

"Ilya's summoning!" Rin exclaimed, looking at her friend. Ilya gave her a pleased nod.

"Precisely." Caster continued.

"In its most basic form the Servant summoning spell pulls a soul from outside the stream of time and empowers it. I wasn't a Heroic Spirit, altho I probably could have been if I had ever died, but I was outside the stream of time. And now here I am." He finished with a shrug.

"That's...incredible." Rin said, falling into a nearby chair in wonderment.

"But this physical form, is it an advantage or a hindrance?"

Caster tapped a finger against his chin.

"A bit of both, I suppose. I don't require any prana to continue existing, nor do I technically require a contract now that I've been made manifest, although I do need it to use the abilities granted to me by the Grail as a Caster type Servant. On the other hand if I die I won't enter the cycle of reincarnation. I'll be just as dead as any other mortal."

The thought was sobering.

"And Berserker? Could something similar have happened to him to explain why exists physically?"

Caster shook his head.

"What happened to me is a one in a million chance. One in a billion. No, one in every human that's ever lived. The chance of it happening _twice_? Unlikely. There must be some other explanation."

"But if the temporal..."

"Uuuuuuugh!" Shirou moaned, interrupting.

"Life is too short for such a boring conversation. Can we _please_ go get that letter?"

Rin heaved an exasperated sigh. To the mages in the room the discussion was fascinating. To an idiot like Shirou it was like sitting through a boring lecture. Or maybe he was just disguising his eagerness to get at Rin's intelligence on Omega. Either way, as much as Rin hated to admit it, he was right. They were wasting time.

"You know, you might learn something for once if you bothered to...ugh. Never mind. Go start the car." Rin said.

"Yess'm!" Shirou said, jumping up and throwing her a comically exaggerated salute.

Rin rolled her eyes again. Why did everything he did have to irritate her so?


	19. Chapter 18

The trip to the postal office was uneventful. Ilya mailed a letter, Shirou stopped by an auto parts store and, oddly enough, a music store for supplies. Rin's only thought was for Gejno's letter that was being held for her.

It was in a slim manilla envelope postmarked the day before. It looked mundane, belying the secrets it might unlock. She forced her self to wait until they were all back at the mansion before she opened it. She could tell that Shirou and Ilya were just as eager to find out what it said but they were both tactful enough to hold off their questions while she read it.

Genjo's envelope contained a single sheet of paper. It had that stiff, crinkling property that paper gets after it's gotten wet and then been dried out. It wasn't exactly yellowed with age but the date at the top placed it as having been sent nearly fifteen years ago.

Tohsaka,

There's been another security breach and we believe that the mole is somewhere in your organization. A shipment of subjects was being transported from our Siberian lab to our lab in Spain when several of them regained consciousness and nearly escaped, possibly with help from someone on the inside. They had to be killed. It was a waste of resources.

I don't need to remind you what will happen if the rest of the Mages Association discovers that we've allied ourselves with the Church for this project. And between the three of us, the von Einsberns only see this as a contingency plan for their own Grail research. They can't be counted on for any more than they've already contributed to the project.

The church's representative is scheduled to arrive at the Valencia laboratory in four days. Keep a careful eye on him, if there really is a mole they may try to contact him. If anyone tries to contact Kotomine while he's there kill them both.

Matou

Rin re-read the letter as she tried to make sense of it. Secret laboratories? Test subjects? At least the letter shed a little light on the mystery. It mentioned that Kotomine was the Church's liaison for the project, which explained why he had such a personal stake in locating it. It also revealed that Omega wasn't a joint project between the entire Mages Association and the Church but a secret project between the Tohsaka, Von Einsbern, and Matou families. That would explain why Magnus assumed that Rin would have information on the Weapon while knowing that the Barthomeloi family had none.

Ilya's impatience reached its peak and Rin handed the letter over to her while she mused. Ilya looked more confused than illuminated before finally handing the letter over to Shirou, who read it while Rin and Ilya discussed the implications.

"So Omega is the result of a research project between our families, the Matou's, and the Church. But I've never heard of it before Kotomine mentioned it. Had you?" Rin asked.

Ilya shook her head.

"No, as far as I know the only magical research my family is even interested in is the Grail." Ilya said, bemused.

Rin considered for a moment, tapping her finger against her chin.

"Well, the letter doesn't mention where that laboratory is, although it confirms that it's here in Valencia. I guess our only lead is to go to the delivery address for the letter and see if we can pick up any clues. Shirou, what do you..." Rin turned to Shirou but paused in shock.

His hands were trembling, he clutched the letter in a white knuckled grip, his face was crimson with rage. The change was shocking. Shirou was always so kind, so cheerful. Even when he was scared or angry it was half tinted with his own brand of good natured humor. Rin had never seen him truly, genuinely angry. It was a little frightening.

"Tohsaka...Von Einsbern..." He growled through gritted teeth.

"You two were a part of this from the beginning!" He bellowed.

"No! Neither of us had anything to do with this!" Ilya burst out before Rin could answer, rushing to Shirou's side. She reached out to him but he brushed her hand away angrily. Ilya snatched it back, hurt, and tears began to fill her eyes.

"Fine! Maybe you'd like to be judged for all _your_ parent's sins too!" She snapped, whirling and rushing from the room.

Shirou's eyes widened and he glanced at Rin in sudden uncertainty.

"She's right, you idiot." Rin said angrily.

"Look at the date on the letter. It's nearly fifteen years old. I would have been eight at the time, and Ilya would barely have been born. We both know just as much about this as you."

Shirou's anger wavered and then collapsed into a look of guilt and sudden regret.

"Just...just promise me that you didn't have anything to do with those butchers." He said.

"Of course not. I know as little about Omega as you." Rin replied, her anger waning.

Shirou looked into her eyes for a long minute, searching. After a moment he nodded.

"Alright. I believe you. I'm going after Ilya." He said, turning and heading through the doors that Ilya had fled through.

Rin waited a moment, processing what had just happened. Shirou's rage made one thing abundantly clear. He was far, far more emotionally invested in finding the Omega Weapon than he let on.

When Rin finally went to look for them she found that they hadn't gotten far. Ilya was in Shirou's arms in the hallway just outside the kitchen, crying into his shoulder. Rin felt a sudden sting of jealousy. She knew it was irrational. But wasn't Shirou _her_ shoulder to cry on?

"Shhhh. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. You're important to me, Ilya." He said.

"Really?" Ilya asked, looking up at him through glistening eyelashes. Her words held an expectancy, a yearning.

Rin's heart fell and she turned away. She knew what was coming next. But her head snapped back around as Shirou spoke.

"Of course. You're like the sister I never had." He said.

"Just a sister?" Ilya asked meekly.

"Not just a sister. The best little sister a fellow could hope for." Shirou replied reassuringly, completely misinterpreting Ilya's tone.

Rin's heart went out to her friend. Imagine pining after someone as emotionally dense as Shirou? Well, on second though Rin realized that she didn't really have to imagine all that hard. Ilya began crying into his chest again and Shirou, as oblivious as ever, just rocked her back and forth and patted the back of her head reassuringly.

Rin sighed and turned to leave when she felt movement from one of her pockets. She was puzzled and reached inside where her fingers touched a small hoop of metal. It was the washer that she had enchanted to notify her when the Map was acting up, and it was vibrating like crazy.

"You guys? I hate to break up a tender moment, but it looks like we've got a situation." She said.

Shirou tactfully extracted himself from Ilya's hug. She let him go reluctantly and followed him as they made their way into the study. There was a huge spike of magical activity on the map over the touristy antique section of the city.

"Crap." Shirou said. "It's the middle of the day. We need to get down there right away. If that Burial Agent gets there first things'll be messy. Carlos doesn't exactly know the meaning of restraint."

Rin nodded and soon the four of them, Rin, Shirou, Ilya, and Caster, were in the car racing towards the tourist district. Rin resisted the urge to reach out and search for sources of magical power, she knew that the act of scanning would reveal them and give away the element of surprise. Even without a magical scan it wasn't that difficult to tell what direction the commotion was in. There was a wail of ambulances and police cars headed towards it and a steady stream of panicky civilians headed away from it.

Shirou squealed around the corner into a large square and slammed on the brakes. The square was bordered by the massive front of an ancient cathedral on one side and a charming and eclectic collection of diners and cafes on the rest. The entire area was a turmoil of bystanders and passers by crowded around. Some watched in fascination, some tried to escape in a panic. And the reason for their panic clashed back and forth around the massive stone fountain that dominated the center of the square.

It was Lancer with her gleaming armor and her harpoon and chain. But Lancer's appearance paled next to her opponent. He was short and swarthy, bulky muscles bulging under princely robes. His hair was short and curly, as was his beard. His face was sunburned and wind blasted, giving him the impression of a working man despite his finery. In his right hand he held a short pointed sword. But the truly eye capturing thing about him was the shimmering mass of a golden cloak thrown back over his left shoulder. It seemed to shift and change in length, never dragging on the ground or getting in the way of his lithe movements but always long enough to cover him from neck to ankle. The hue was of the purest burnished gold, faceted and glimmering as it rippled.

There was only one Servant he could be but Rin confirmed it with a quick glance through her Grail vision.

CLASS: Rider

TRUE NAME: ?

MASTER: ?

As Rin was looking through her Grail vision Lancer charged once again and Rin marveled at her blinding speed. One could catch glimpses of her, here and there, pausing like a single freeze frame in motion, her ornate serrated harpoon held high, but otherwise she was moving so fast that she couldn't be seen by the naked eye. Gusts of wind caused by her passage billowed through the square, pelting the onlookers with crumpled newspapers and bits of dust. She leaped forwards, spear extended. With callous unconcern Rider flourished his cloak. Altho it appeared to be nothing more than scintillating golden cloth Lancer rammed into it with the force of a locomotive, sparks flying upwards and outwards in a brilliant shower. Rin's eyes widened and she checked lower on Rider's report.

NOBLE PHANTASM: Golden Fleece

TYPE: Barrier Phantasm

DESCRIPTION: The Golden Fleece is immune to damage and does not pass physical forces through to its wielder. It does not absorb or block attacks, but rather reduces the rank of all incoming attacks to zero. It could therefore be said that any attack levied against the Golden Fleece does not constitute an attack at all.

To be bearing the golden fleece left Rider but one identity and, sure enough, when Rin re-checked her Grail vision she saw his name listed.

CLASS: Rider

TRUE NAME: Jason the Argonaut

MASTER: ?

WEAPON: The Sword

NOBLE PHANTASM: Golden Fleece

CLASS ABILITIES:

Magic Resistance C: Provides resistance to all incoming magical damage or control.

Riding A: All vehicles and mounts can be ridden save for Divine Beasts.

Charisma B: All men will follow his command, and Heroes will be bolstered.

Tactics B: Gives advantage to battles fought with large numbers of troops.

Eye for Art C: When a Noble Phantasm is sighted gives a small chance to identify it.

Sailor A: Gives advantage to battles fought on the sea.

STRENGTH: B

ENDURANCE: B

AGILITH: C

MAGIC: D

LUCK: A

NOBLE PHANTASM: B

As she read Lancer continued to rain down attacks with her blinding speed, attacks which Rider continued to block with contemptuous ease. The Fleece was more powerful than any shield. A powerful enough blow against even the strongest shield will test the strength of its wielder, sending them staggering back. Any blow against the Fleece wouldn't even be felt by Rider, despite it being as supple and flexible as cloth. Rin was a bit surprised that Rider would expose his identity so readily, but she supposed they were past the point where holding back was an advantage. At this point the war was all or nothing.

While Lancer and Rider's battle raged Shirou parked the car at a crazy angle halfway up the curb and jumped out.

"Wait!" Rin called, and he paused.

"Think for a moment before you go charging in there. What good will interfering with their fight do?"

Shirou quirked an eyebrow.

"I couldn't care less about the Servants." He said. "We need to get these people out of here. They don't know how much danger they're in."

Rin supposed she shouldn't be surprised. Shirou was perfectly willing to risk his life facing Assassin for the sake of some theoretical victim. With an entire crowd of bystanders he wasn't likely to sit meekly in the car. Many of the people filling the square had fled but there were still observers who thought it was all just a part of the show. He charged off towards the nearest group of bystanders and Ilya made as if to follow but Rin restrained her.

"Let him go, there's no stopping Shirou when he's got it in his head to rescue someone. We need to get to higher ground." She said.

"And keep an eye out for Magnus Barthomeloi. If Lancer is here he can't be far away."

Ilya nodded and Rin turned her attention to the shops. A nearby building had an exposed fire escape and soon she, Ilya, and Caster found themselves up on the roof with a good view of the square.

The duel below had devolved into a stalemate. Rider's impenetrable defense made Lancer's fiercest onslaught laughable, and Lancer's super human speed left Rider with no chance to counter attack before she was out of his reach. Rider had resorted to readying himself for Lancer's charge and swinging at her with his shortsword whenever she launched an attack. Things would have continued like that indefinitely until Lancer sought a way to break the stalemate.

She threw the weighted end of her harpoon to wrap around a lamp post on the opposite side of the square from Rider and then charged past him in a dash attack. He swung at her ineffectually but her charge brought her to the other side of the square. She quickly looped around a sign post and then charged again, trailing her chain. Four more times she attacked, each time her momentum carried her past Rider and each time she looped around a tree or lamp post before attacking again.

"Oh, that clever bitch!" Rin exclaimed.

Ilya looked confused and Rin explained.

"Look what she's doing, she's threading her chain around those obstacles and weaving a trap around Rider. Soon he'll have nowhere to go."

And sure enough, Lancer skidded to a halt in front of Rider. Her chains rattled in the wind, looped taunt around various objects in a rough pentagram with Rider in the center. Too late he realized the trap that had been laid for him and made a dash for open ground away from Lancer's chains. She was too quick for him. She braced herself and gave a mighty heave. There was a crack and the sound of wrenching metal and the five points that her chain was looped around gave way simultaneously, sending the trap constricting inwards to bind Rider. He gave a mighty leap and the chains crashed together into a knot where had been standing an instant before.

Ilya gasped at his evasion, but Rin knew better.

"It's over." She said.

With a burst of wind from her passage Lancer kicked off again, dashing to the point where Rider was sure to land. Without his feet on the ground he had no way to dodge, no way control his momentum. All Lancer had to do was strike the killing blow as he fell. But Rider had other plans. With a flourish he pulled the Fleece from his shoulders and, rather than shielding his fall like Rin expected him to, he flung it out behind him and pushed off against it. To Lancer's great surprise he suddenly changed directions in mid air. Suddenly his fall carried him far beyond where she was waiting for him and, as he passed overhead, a viscous downwards stroke connected with Lancer. She cried out and fell to her knees, blood geysering from a wound that ran from shoulder blade to waist.

It had all happened in less than a second but it took Rin a moment to work out what had happened.

"Of course!" She exclaimed. "The Fleece doesn't respond to external changes in momentum! It will still fall at the rate of cloth, but even while it's falling he can jump off of it just like it were solid!"

By then Shirou had cleared the last of the bystanders from the square. He was nowhere to be seen but Rin assumed that he was making his way back to the building where she and the others were watching from. She glanced around for Magnus but paused when she caught sight of a dark figure on a rooftop across the way. He was standing fearlessly on the edge of a tall building looking down on the battle just as she was. She couldn't make out his features except that he was clad in a long black coat. Altho she couldn't see him well she somehow felt certain that she had seen him before. Where?

Suddenly it came to her. The night she and Berserker had seen Saber and Archer battle there had been a man in black watching. It had to be the same person.

Below in the square Lancer painfully drew herself up. She leveled her spear at Rider.

"This isn't over. The same trick won't work twice." She spat. And then, with her superhuman speed, she was gone.

Rider barked a deep laugh and swirled his cloak dramatically, fanning it across his shoulder and checking his appearance in a nearby shop window.

"Well, well. Cowards will be cowards!" He called out.

"Let us be gone from this place Master. It bores me."

A short, fat mage that Rin didn't recognize waddled across the square. He said something to Rider that made him laugh and then they both strode off down a nearby alleyway, looking like they hadn't a care in the world.


	20. Chapter 19

As Rider and his portly master disappeared Rin heard a clatter from the fire escape behind them. She turned around just as Shirou clamored up onto the roof and dusted himself off.

"What'd I miss?" He asked.

"The whole fight." Rin replied.

Shirou looked crestfallen, like she'd told him he'd missed the championship game of the sportball of his choice. Of course, this being Shirou the disappointment only lasted a moment before he was flashing around his trademark grin. It puzzled Rin how anyone could be _that_ cheerful.

"You gotta do what you gotta do, right? At least nobody got hurt this time. But this is the second time that Magnus has started a fight in the middle of the day. If he keeps it up he's gonna draw too much attention from the Burial Agency and then things might get ugly." He said, worry tinging his words.

Rin nodded.

"It's too dangerous to just keep responding to threats as they come up. We need to come up with a strategy. I don't think we'll be able to take out any of the other servants without help, we need to pit them against each other, draw them into conflict and then attack when they're weakened." She said thoughtfully.

"Me and Caster will help however we can." Ilya chimed in and Rin clasped her shoulder.

"I think Assassin could beat Rider, he may be the only one who can since Rider is essentially immune to physical attacks. And Lancer's speed may give her the edge she needs to kill Assassin." Rin said.

"Caster's time control magic will give us an edge against Lancer." Ilya volunteered.

Rin nodded in agreement.

"Right now the biggest threat is Saber. Between his damage negation and Gram I really don't see a way of beating him in an outright fight. Maybe we could draw him into conflict with several of the other Servants and attack when he's weakened." Rin mused.

"It's all just tactical rock paper scissors." Shirou said in a nonchalant tone.

"I'm sure everything will work itself out. In the meantime I'm more concerned with Omega. Do you still have that letter?" He asked.

Rin handed over the faded letter that Genjo had sent and Shirou flipped it over to show the address on the back. There was a hand written address there but no return address. It hadn't been post marked, obviously hand delivered by courier.

"That's the only lead we have right now. I'm headed over there. You two...might want to stay here." He said, looking between Rin and Ilya cautiously.

Rin felt her ire rising and she stalked forward.

"Why? Is this all a game to you? Some macho, he-man solo mission? You think that you're some kind of an action hero? That we can't handle ourselves?" She demanded, thumping her pointer finger against his chest to punctuate her words.

Shirou's eyes fell.

"It's just that...it seems like both of your families are involved in this. I know that you aren't," He quickly added, throwing his hands up when Rin began to protest.

"But there's a lot of evidence that someone in your family is involved. Someone high up in your family. I care about you. Both of you. A lot. It's just that, well, you might not like what you find out. Some doors should stay closed." He said.

Rin was a little taken aback by his foresight but it didn't change matters.

"I am the heir to the Tohsaka household. If my family has any dirty laundry it's my job to deal with it. I won't hide from my responsibilities." She declared imperiously.

"Me too!" Ilya added, clenching one dainty hand into a determined fist.

"Nobody is running away from their responsibilities. I'm not a child." She added, seeming a bit over eager to prove her last point to Shirou.

For his part Shirou nodded.

"Okay then. Let's get moving."

…

The address led them to a rundown tenement in a low rent portion of the city. It wasn't exactly a slum but the buildings were old and the cars that lined the street were in various states of disrepair, obviously not a moneyed neighborhood.

They cruised slowly down the street past the apartment complex where the letter had been addressed to. Rin expected Shirou to stop the car and quirked an eyebrow when he didn't.

"This is it." She said.

He kept his eyes focused on the road and kept his hands on the wheel but gestured slightly with his elbow.

"Look up at the corner of the building." He said.

Rin scanned the faded red brick for a short moment before she spotted what he was talking about. An inconspicuous security camera was mounted high on the building, its view focused on the street. Rin had been scanning for magical detection systems but had completely forgotten to look for more mundane intrusion countermeasures. It was the same reason she had decided to carry a regular cellular phone, something that she had nearly completely forgotten about. She realized that whatever Project Omega was they had already done what she planned to do to the Tohsaka family infrastructure. They had modernized. She made a note to bear that in mind during her investigation.

"Drive around the corner. We'll look for a back entrance." She said.

Shirou nodded and complied, parking around the corner of the building where the camera couldn't see them. Shirou got out of the car and pulled a screwdriver out of his pocket. He quickly popped the plastic cover off of the car's rear view mirror and then unscrewed it, pulling it off and tucking his screwdriver back into his pocket when he was done.

"There may be another camera around back." He said by way of explanation to Rin and Ilya's odd looks.

He led the way to the corner of the building and crouched down, holding the mirror inconspicuously around the edge. He motioned for the others to wait as he used the reflection to examine the wall of the building.

"Looks clear." He said.

The back door was as grimy and nondescript as the alley. Shirou glanced around and then stepped back, obviously winding up to kick it in.

"Wait!" Rin hissed, throwing her hands out.

"I'm sure if they've got surveillance cameras watching the street they've at least got the door alarmed." She said bitingly, pushing past Shirou haughtily and bending to inspect the door.

He backed off sheepishly. Rin cast a quick identification spell on the door. There was copper and plastic, which probably meant wiring or circuitry, and she definitely detected that teeth-on-edge vibration that meant there was live current running through it. Alarmed for sure then. She closed here eyes and focused on where the current was strongest, pushing out with a pinpoint but strong haywire spell to scramble any electronics temporarily. There was a slight pause and then she felt something give way beneath her magical pressure like slicing through a string.

She cursed loudly.

"What?" Shirou asked, looking at her in alarm.

"They had the door alarmed, but they also had the alarm system magically warded. I tripped the ward when I tried to disable the alarm." Rin said.

Shirou looked anxiously between the door that held the secrets to Omega and the two mages standing beside him. It only took him a moment to make up his mind.

"Too risky. We need to get out of here, we'll come back later after the alarm dies down. Head back to the car, I'm right behind you." He said.

Rin led the procession in an anxious trot back to the car, Ilya and Caster hot on her heels. She had just opened the car door when she heard a splintering crash from behind her. She whirled just in time to see Shirou kick the door open and disappear inside.

"That idiot!" She hissed under her breath.

She hustled Ilya into the passenger side and pushed Caster into the driver's seat.

"Can you drive this?" She demanded.

"Child, for a brilliant mechanical mind such as my own such a simple task would be..."

"Good. Get her out of here." She said and slammed the door.

She could see Ilya twist angrily around in her seat to pound on the rear windshield as the car sped off but it didn't alter its course until they were out of sight. Rin sprinted back through the splintered doorway and into the building.

The interior was dimly lit by flickering bulbs. Mildew stains colored the wall in blotches. Rin saw another door ajar a short way down the hallway and hurried towards it. It led to a staircase that spiraled upwards, a door for each floor of the building opening on one side. She could hear someone climbing the staircase above her and she half hissed, half yelled "Shirou!"

The footsteps stopped and Shirou's head poked out over the bannister. He grinned when he saw her.

"So you decided to join me after all." He said, quickly descending to meet her as she climbed the stairs.

"You tried to get rid of us!" Rin said angrily.

"Keep your voice down! Yeah, um, I had no idea what was up here and I didn't want to put you two in danger." He replied, somewhat sheepishly.

Rin rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Oh, of all the...We're both Masters in a war so powerful that you can't even imagine the scope. I'm one of the most powerful mages ever to graduate from the Clocktower and I can handle myself just fine. If you insist on always trying to..."

"That's great but we're in a bit of a crisis. Can we talk about this later?" He interrupted her, grabbing her hand and dragging her behind him.

Rin blushed at the sudden contact, fighting not to stammer as she tried to keep up.

"H-how do you know what we're looking for?" She asked as they climbed.

"I don't. So keep your eyes peeled." Shirou said.

They hustled up several more floors when Shirou stopped half way up a flight of stairs and turned around.

"It's this one." He said, backing down to the previous landing and pressing his ear against the door there. Somewhat to her regret he dropped Rin's hand.

"How do you know?" She asked, puzzled.

"I just walked through a cobweb. Whoever comes here regularly doesn't go up past this floor, so the spider webs are intact above this."

He tried the handle and when he found it locked he backed up a step, pushing Rin behind him.

"No don...'t." She said as he hauled off and kicked the door in.

"Too late for subtlety now." He said, hurrying through.

To Rin's surprise the room was completely empty of scurrying defenders alerted by the alarm. It was also completely at odds with the rest of the building. Mildewy wallpaper was replaced with clean white paint. Filthy carpets were now clean linoleum. Flickering incandescent lights were now bright white florescents. The room looked like a hospital or an orderly office building. It took up the entire floor as evidenced by the shaded windows on all four wide walls. It was also largely empty except for a long row of server racks, some file cabinets, and a small living area that had been set up with several cots and a hot plate.

"It's a safehouse." Shirou said, moving towards the computer terminal attached to the server racks.

"I'll see what I can get from the computer, you check those filing cabinets. We need to find out whatever we can before whoever that alarm tipped off shows up." He said.

Rin nodded and moved towards the filing racks. They were locked but it was a simple matter to reach into the tumbler with a thin thread of force and lift the pins just enough for it to click open. The files looked like medical histories. They listed allergies, cholesterol, blood pressure. They had no names, only designations like a double blind medical trial. And, to Rin's horror, they all ended in a similar way.

K series subject 57 died of massive internal hemorrhaging during experimentation.

G series subject 22 died of organ rejection during experimentation.

I series subject 218 died of an overdose during experimentation.

She looked through a few more to verify that they were all the same and then moved on to the next filing cabinet.

"Finding anything?" Shirou asked from behind her.

Rin jumped and dropped the file she was holding. She blushed and scrambled to pick it up.

"Don't_ scare _me like that!" She said angrily, whacking him on the chest with the file.

He held up his hands apologetically.

"Sorry. Computer's password protected. I can't get in." He said.

"Can't you, oh, I don't know...hack it or something?" Rin asked.

Shirou chuckled.

"You've been watchin' too many movies. I don't really know how to do that sort of thing. And besides, I'm pretty sure it takes a really long time. We need to get out of here now, before anyone shows up to investigate." He said.

"Too late." Came the reply from the doorway.

Shirou and Rin both whirled, altho she had the presence of mind to keep her hold on the file this time. There were two figures standing in the entrance to the safehouse. The smaller was a young woman about Rin's age. She had shoulder length hair in a soothing shade of pastel blue. She wore innocuous civilian clothing, a pink skirt and matching sweater. There was something oddly familiar with her but Rin couldn't place where she had seen her before. Her eyes were filled with the sort of hollow emptiness you see in refugees and disaster survivors altho there was nothing about her to suggest that was the case.

The larger figure, clad in buckskins and feathers, was Archer.

"How..." Rin breathed. She had seen Archer take the full brunt of Saber's nuclear explosion noble phantasm.

Desperate for clues she flicked open her grail vision. A new entry had appeared under Archer's data sheet.

CLASS ABILITIES:

Undaunted Spirit: Whenever Archer is targeted by an attack that would kill him he may first activate any skill or Noble Phantasm in his possession.

But how would that allow him to survive Saber's assault? Archer didn't have any defensive skills powerful enough to...of course! He had Disengage! Rin marveled at how powerful Servants could be. Rider was physically invincible, but Archer had perhaps an even better invulnerability. Any time he would be killed by an attack he could simply Disengage and retreat from combat instead of dying. He was virtually impossible to kill.

"Give me the file, Rin." The blue haired mage said, breaking into Rin's thoughts. Her voice was flat, emotionless.

Rin was taken aback.

"How do you know my name?" She asked, clutching the manilla file folder to her chest.

Something seemed to spark between the blue haired mage's empty eyes for an instant. But then it was gone.

"Unimportant. You will give me the file, or we will kill you."

Rin hesitated. Would they really let them go? The mage could simply have had Archer kill them already and taken the file instead of asking. But why _didn't _she kill them? Before she could reply she was interrupted by Shirou.

"Sorry to interrupt, toots, but we've got a date with your mass murdering boss." He said.

He bent to sweep Rin off her feet, gathering her up in his arms and springing towards the window. They crashed through in a shower of glass and seemed to hang there for an instant, suspended four stories above the street. Then Rin shrieked and they fell. A burst of magical energy erupted from Shirou and Rin could sense him fortifying. Beneath her fear she retained enough coherency to examine the process. Even with the magical lensing effect amplifying his magic when cast on his own body he was still putting out far, far more power than a mage should be capable of.

Then they slammed into the sidewalk. It shattered and cracked beneath Shirou's feet, collapsing into a mini crater where they landed. Rin was jolted like she had been through a car crash. He quickly set her on her feet as the aura of power faded from him.

"Are you alright? We need to get out of here before they get down here."

Rin wobbled uncertainly but nodded.

"Right. But warn me next time." She said.

However, they had no sooner taken a half dozen steps when Rin felt another massive impact behind them. They both whirled to see Archer standing in a small crater of his own.

"My Master will take the stairs. I, however, can follow you just fine." He said.

"Well...crud." Shirou said.

He pushed Rin to her feet and she once again felt the phenomenal power surging through him. For an instant she held out hope that he would be able to beat Archer. But then she realized that simple enhanced strength would count for very little against a Servant. And Archer hadn't yet unleashed his Noble Phantasm, so he still had that up his sleeve.

"Get out of here, Rin. I'll hold him off." He growled under his breath.

"Look, that's very noble of you, but I can't just let you..." She began but he cut her off.

"You have to. One of us has to get away with that file." He said.

And he was right. From a tactical perspective there was only one logical course of action. It made little sense to lose everything if he was willing to sacrifice himself to let her escape. If she stayed she would simply throw her life away along with his. She _knew_ all of that. But Rin was finding that she cared less and less what was logical when it came to Shirou.

"I'm not leaving you." She said resolutely, a steely look on her features.

He looked searchingly into her eyes for a long moment and her heart fluttered. Then he nodded.

"Stay behind me." Was all he said.

Archer bowed respectfully.

"Very well then. Let us begin." He said.

With a Servant's swiftness he charged. Rin shot her hands out and sent a barrage of needle sharp ice shards pelting towards him. He dodged them easily but the attack re routed his charge into a vector that Shirou could easily meet. He moved with superhuman speed, not as fast as Archer, but still faster than a regular human would be capable of. He pounced on a nearby car and quickly tore one of its doors away, using it as a makeshift shield to fend off Archer's attacks.

He was careful to keep himself between Rin and Archer but he needn't have bothered. Archer ignored her and focused all of his attacks on Shirou. Rin supported him where she could with ice magic or shields but all she could do was enforce a stalemate between the two. With his impromptu shield Shirou was able to ward off the arrows and tomahawk strikes that Archer rained on him but was completely unable to mount any kind of meaningful counter attack. Here and there an attack would slip through is defenses and Rin's shields, opening a ghash along his arm or pinking his leg with the prick of an arrow. It was obviously not a fight they could win. And as soon as the blue haired mage arrived she would nullify Rin's spells and leave Shirou an easy target.

Hot tears of despair began to trickle down Rin's face as she fought. And then, as suddenly as it began, it was over. Shirou was being beaten backwards towards the curb. One misstep sent him sprawling backwards, the car door clattering to the ground beside him. And then Archer was on him, a single bloody tomahawk raised high for the killing blow. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Rin watched the axe descend. Archer let out a bestial warcry.

No.

Archer didn't let out that warcry. It was...

"Berserker!" Rin cried.

Her massive servant barreled out of a nearby alley. The warcry had stayed Archers hand for a split second but that was all Berserker needed. He plowed into the lanky indian, knocking him off Shirou and sending them both sprawling. On a trice both were on their feet. Berserker moved to Rin's side, as did Shirou. Side by side the three of them faced off against Archer.

He straightened, an unreadable look on his features.

_But we're back where we were before. Even with all three of us we can't hope to beat a fully powered servant. _Rin thought.

But then another though occurred to Rin. Servant's don't have grail vision, only Masters. With his master still on the way Archer would have no way of knowing how powerful Berserker was.

"Follow my lead." She hissed out of the side of her mouth to Berserker.

"Berserker!" She cried in a loud voice, confidently pointing her finger at Archer.

"Use your One Touch Death technique!" She commanded.

Berserker quirked an eyebrow but when she gave him an urgent look he dropped into a fighting crouch.

"As you wish! One Finger Death Touch Technique!" He yelled loudly, charging forward wildly and swinging in a wide overhand arc at Archer.

Rin waited with baited breath. Archer would either kill Berserker like a man swats a fly or...

There was a moment's pause when Berserker's attack connected. Archer stood there and took on a hazy, smoky appearance. And then Berserker's charge carried him through where Archer was standing. Archer himself had vanished.

"Okay, _now_ let's go." Rin said, turning to sprint down the street with Shirou and Berserker hot on her heels.

Shirou slapped Berserker on the shoulder.

"Perfect timing." He said.

"I awoke and you were gone. I came as fast as I could." Berserker said simply.

"Still, though. One finger death touch? I guess I underestimated you." Shirou said with a grin.

Berserker looked confused.

"No." Rin said. She explained about Archer's ability to disengage in response to any attack.

"So he can leave combat whenever he wishes. I was hoping that we could get him to disengage. It was a bluff, and he fell for it. It won't work twice." She said.

Shirou let out a low whistle.

"Clever. Let's head home and take a look at that." He said, pointing the folder that she was still clutching in her hand.


	21. Chapter 20

Ilya was waiting for them anxiously when they arrived home. She threw herself on all three of them, wringing her hands and double checking to make sure that they were alright. She spent a rather long time verifying that Shirou hadn't sustained any injuries to his abdomen or biceps and eventually an exasperated Rin dragged her away under the guise of a hug, for which Shirou shot her a grateful smile.

Berserker was as stoic and silent as ever as Shirou animatedly described their escapades. Ilya was a gratifyingly rapt audience, gasping and squeaking in fright at all the right spots. Shirou cast Berserker as the hero of his tale, barely mentioning his own heroic leap from the window or his one sided fight against Archer. He glanced at Rin before he mentioned the file that she had taken as if asking if they should tell Ilya about it. Rin nodded.

"No more secrets. No more lies." She said.

Shirou nodded and continued his tale. But what was that in his eyes? Guilt? Rin knew that he wasn't telling her everything and she was beginning to form a theory about why.

When he mentioned Archer's master the mysterious blue haired magus Ilya's interest piqued.

"Blue hair? About my height, about your age?" She verified.

Rin was surprised.

"You know her?" She asked.

"Maybe." Ilya replied. "I think I saw her once several years ago when my father was meeting with a representative from the Matou family. Could she be the Matou heir? S- something. Sakura?"

"Matou heir?" Shirou asked, one eyebrow quirked in confusion.

Rin explained that most mage families sent their children to the Clocktower for some basic training before instructing them in family secrets. Being such a small and closely knit (if not exactly friendly) community means that most mages know each other, especially mages of an age to have attended the Clocktower together. The Matou family, even more secretive than the rest of the Mages Association, never sent their heirs to the Clocktower to train. Rin had heard rumors of an heir being groomed to take over the family but she had never met them. Until today, apparently.

"So Archer's master is here from the Matou family, you're here from the Tohsaka family, and Ilya's here from the Von Einsbern family, right? That's the three families mentioned in Genjo's letter as being connected to the Omega Weapon. That can't be mere coincidence?" Shirou said.

Rin tapped a thoughtful finger against her chin.

"Hmmm. Unlike me and Ilya this Matou girl obviously knows about her family's connection to Omega. I hadn't even heard about it until I came here. Perhaps we could track her down and force her to reveal...ugh. But this discussion is rather pointless." She said.

She waved the file that she and Shirou had stolen from the safehouse.

"I'll read this tonight, it looks like it's big enough to take a while to get through. It may answer all of our questions so it's pointless to ask them right now. I'll read this tonight, we should plan again in the morning." She said matter of factly.

Ilya protested but she was exhausted from the day's exertions. Caster left with her to tuck her into bed and make sure she didn't stay up to hear what Rin found in the file. Shirou nodded grimly, his curiosity about the file clearly gnawing at him, but left Rin to her work. Rin made her way into the study to begin her work, spreading the file out on a table near where Caster's magical map was situated. Berserker followed on her heels like a bulldog, silent and protective.

She had just spread the files out to begin reading when she caught sight of Shirou through the window lugging a heavy load towards the garage. Curious, she pushed herself up and opened up the shutters, rapping on the glass to get his attention before opening the window. He sauntered over and to Rin's surprise she saw that he was carrying the items that he had purchased at the music shop, two heavy industrial sized spools of piano wire.

"Where are you going with all that?" She asked.

Shirou grinned and leaned his elbows on the window sill, poking his head into the room and waving at Berserker.

"It's a secret!" He said. As if suddenly recalling Rin's words he changed his tone.

"Er, no more secrets. Right. You'll find out tomorrow, is what I meant to say."

"You're leaving right now?" She asked.

"Eh, life's too short to wait around, ya know?" He said.

Rin gave him a flat look that turned serious when she leaned in.

"Just...be careful." She said, concern heavy in her voice and a slight flush rising on her cheeks. She knew that she couldn't stop him from leaving on whatever foolish errand he had taken upon himself. Her suspicions about him were still in her mind but, more than that, she just didn't like the thought of him being hurt again.

Shirou looked pleased and, to Rin's great surprise, blushed a little bit himself.

"Oh! Thanks, I will." He said. The color in his face rose and his eyes darted around the room. His usually cheerful demeanor had changed into an aura of uncertainty.

"Look, ah, after all this is over, well that is if you aren't...er...maybe you and I...we could...um." He stammered, scratching at the back of his head nervously. His eyes darted around like a drowning man clutching for a raft.

"...yes?" Rin asked in a small voice, hoping against hope that he would continue.

The mood broke when Shirou's eyes fell on Berserker, however, and he seemed to deflate slightly.

"Er, never mind. Lemme know what you find in that file." He said disheartenedly, hoisting the two spools of wire once again and trudging towards the garage.

Rin drew her head back in through the window and slammed it shut, shooting a glare at Berserker even though he hadn't done anything wrong. She couldn't see him from behind his book but she thought he might have been smiling. Did he find Shirou amusing? Or was he glad that he was gone because of his feelings for Rin?

It was all very confusing. Rin marched back to her desk and began reading the file.

It was a string of security reports dated nearly ten years ago, presumably from the same facility that the medical reports she had glanced over came from. Although much of it had been censored with thick bars of black ink what remained was both illuminating and disheartening. There were a number of useful clues that Rin picked out. References to a change in security procedures for the elevators to the surface meant that the facility had to be underground somewhere. A casual mention of added security for packages delivered by the Valencia postal service meant that it was definitely here in the city.

Beyond that the report read like something you might find at an SS prison camp. There were reports of "subjects" being herded into containment areas and applause for security officers who ensured that none of them escaped. Routine reports of subjects being hauled off for experimentation and other procedures. Casual mentions of subjects being 'neutralized for noncompliance'. There were death counts, reports of incoming subjects being kidnapped for the Project, reports of bodies being discretely disposed of.

Rin felt sick that her family could have been involved with such a level of inhuman atrocities. She skipped ahead to find any clues about the physical nature of the Omega Weapon itself. To her surprise she was able to find quite a bit. She had somehow felt that the existence of the weapon was something that not even the report could reveal to her. She had assumed that the weapon was something like a magical sword, shield, or suit of armor. The file spoke of containment and testing procedures, transporting it in sealed capsules, its stimulus to biological and magical energy, and the Weapon itself being fed back into storage tanks when it wasn't in use. Could Omega be some sort of magically engineered biological weapon? Some ritual or implant?

A prickling suspicion needled at the back of Rin's mind but she pushed it away.

The last part of the file detailed how Omega had been stolen, the event that had sparked off the search she was now on. It was the only section of the report that the names hadn't been censored out of. There had been an attack on the underground facility by an old time enemy of the project head, a man named Emiya Kiritsugu. Emiya had been trying to bring down Omega since the beginning and the attack was his final stroke. He broke into the facility, killed most of the security forces, and stolen the Omega weapon. Rin's heart began to pound as she read on. He had also rescued a single test subject. Then he disappeared. The enforcers that the Omega project head Kotomine Kirei sent to track him down never returned.

Rin set the file down and stared into space, her face painted with shock. All of her suspicions came rushing in at once. Shirou's reticence about his past and his driving desire to take down Omega, his unbelievable powers that he hadn't even known were magically based until she told him, even his insistence on using a false name when they had first met. It all suddenly made sense. He was the test subject that had been rescued from Project Omega. And he wasn't looking for the Omega Weapon. He already had it.

Rin felt dizzy from the realization. She needed sleep, needed time to process what she'd learned. A glance out the window showed the first pale rays of dawn peeping through the curtains. She'd stayed up all night without realizing it. Berserker was still seated across the room, his chair leaned back and his feet propped on a desk, his mouth open slightly and soft snores coming from his rising and falling chest. She could see the contours of his face beneath the criss cross of scar tissue, his gnarled missing eye twisting an empty patch on his face.

Between her growing infatuation with Shirou and the hectic demands of the War it suddenly struck her how much she took him for granted. He was so silent. Stoic. Uncomplaining. It was difficult to tell what he was thinking or feeling, what his needs were. Did he have feelings for her? If so what were they? Was he still worried about who he was? If he was a good person? She could trace the details of his craggy features and Rin suddenly realized that she had stood and crossed the room, standing within arms reach of her mysterious partner.

His eye opened slowly. The feet of the chair came to rest against the ground but he didn't rise. He looked at her quizzically. Neither of them spoke as the moments stretched on. Even sitting he was nearly as big as she was. Rin reached out slowly to touch Berserker's face. Two fingers traced the line of his jaw, the slanting rays of the sun sending the shadow arcing over his neck and the outline of his collar bone. His skin was rough, leathery, textured by scar tissue. He leaned into Rin's fingers almost imperceptibly as if relishing her touch.

"Who are you?" She asked softly.

"I don't know." Berserker answered sadly, his eyes falling from her gaze.

She didn't know what had prompted the question but she immediately regretted it. She drew her fingers back a little too quickly, clasping them to her chest as she backpedaled away from the suddenly awkward silence.

"I'm sorry…I shouldn't have…" Rin stammered.

Berserker rose fluidly with his fighter's grace and crossed the room. Standing he towered above her as he always did. But as always his presence was like a bulwark, not a threat.

"It's okay." He said simply.

"Whoever, whatever I was before, I'm yours now." He said.

Rin's eyes widened but Berserker offered no further explanation to his words. She didn't know what to make of them. Was Berserker declaring his loyalty or...

Fortunately Rin was saved from having to come up with an answer by a loud knock coming from the front of the house. She quickly moved towards the study door, feeling Berserker's eyes on her back as she moved across the room. With an uncertain glance back at him she made her way to the front door, wondering who could be visiting at this hour. It turned out to be an elderly fellow in a postman's uniform. He had a single letter addressed to Ilya via express courier service. The postman bid Rin a good morning before handing over the letter and returning to his small delivery truck.

Rin absentmindedly placed the letter on the small table near the coat rack where she knew Ilya would find it, her thoughts preoccupied with what Berserker had meant. _I'm yours now._ It could be an affirmation of their contract. Or it could be a declaration of...something else. Rin's head was spinning but she was brought out of her reverie by the sound of footsteps on the stairs. It was the first and last person she wanted to see under the circumstances.

"I heard someone at the front door, didn't realize you were already up. You look beat, Rin. Are you up early or are you up late?" Shirou asked cheerfully, his happy mood defusing the situation. Rin glanced ove her shoulder and saw that Berserker standing in the doorway of the study. When he saw Shirou an unreadable expression came over his face and he turned to go back inside. Although he hadn't said anything she somehow instinctively knew that their conversation was over.

"What did you find out from that file? Does it tell us where Omega's main lab complex is?" Shirou continued, craning his neck over Rin's shoulder to glance at the files.

How much did he remember about the experiments? And how would he react towards her once he knew that she knew? Rin was afraid of things changing between them. For some reason she couldn't bring herself to reveal what she knew about him. Not yet.

"I...no. But there were some good leads. At least it will give us a place to start looking. It...it said...we should talk about what it said." She finished lamely. Shirou didn't notice what a hard time she was having.

"Good idea. C'mon you two, I've got something to show you." He said, making off towards the garage and motioning for her and Berserker to follow him.

Berserker fell into step behind Rin as Shirou lead the way to the garage. He didn't notice any of the tension that hung in the air between the three of them as he opened the door for Rin and then climbed into the car himself. Rin was mildly curious about where they were going, but she was more curious about how she was going to handle this new situation with Berserker and Shirou.


	22. Chapter 21

Rin shot sidelong glances at Shirou as they drove, the calming early morning sunlight serving as a counterpoint to the turmoil that she was feeling. All of her goals, all of her perceptions had shifted. How would what she knew of Shirou alter her goals to use the Omega Weapon to win the Grail war? Could she simply ask him for it? Was it something that he would give her? Was it something that he_ could _give her?

And that was assuming that her hunch was right, that he truly was the subject that Emiya had rescued from the laboratory. It made so much sense but what proof did she really have? He was so cheerful, so confident. Was that all a façade that he put up to cover the atrocities he'd endured?

And what of Kotomine? His actions as the head of the project had been monstrous. But the sin wasn't his alone. Rin forced the bitter taste of betrayal and guilt down her throat at the thought that her family had been privy to such evil. Had her father known of this? Had he lied to her every time he spoke of honor, and duty, and their place at the head of the Tohsaka family? Or was Omega something that didn't come about until after his death? Rin had to believe that this was something her father never would have allowed.

And then there was the Grail War itself. All the pieces were on the table. All the Servants were in the open. The time for deft maneuvering was over, the time for the war to being in earnest had come. But was that what Rin wanted? Did she view the Omega Weapon as a way to win the war or did she view the war as an inconvenience to her investigation of Omega?

Rin knew that she was going to have to make some tough decisions in the coming days. Her thoughts were interrupted as Shirou pulled to a stop in front of a dilapidated looking apartment complex in a rundown section of the city just outside the downtown metropolitan area. The broken windows and loose sidings said that the building was abandoned, the wild front lawn and the droopy trees said it had been that way for a long while.

Shirou jumped out of the car with all of his customary excitement and gesticulated wildly as he lead Rin and Berserker towards the building. He opened up the waist high chain link fence that surrounded the property and did an ungainly half step, half hop through the opening. Rin raised an eyebrow but the reason for his odd maneuver became apparent when she drew up to the gate. A strand of piano wire had been drawn taut across the opening at knee height as a trip wire.

Shirou continued his strange dance as he crossed the lawn, now ducking, now raising his knees nearly to his chest as he stepped over some invisible barrier, now skirting around something that Rin couldn't yet see.

"Watch your step." He cautioned.

His warning was well justified. As Rin made her way forward she noticed hundreds of easily missable wires slanting through the air at odd angles. They criss crossed the lawn, stretched tight between the trees, the fence, and the building. Their arrangement was chaotic and random, from chest height to only a couple of inches off the ground. Some were even and some were angled between a high point and a low. The overall effect was a steel web of barely visible wires criss crossing the property like a hopelessly tangled spider web.

"This is...erm, what's the point of all this, exactly?" Rin asked as she slowly picked her way across the booby trapped lawn.

"It's for Lancer!" Shirou replied brightly.

"She's got super speed, right? So I figure we don't have much chance against her in open terrain. I figure me and Berserker can spend the rest of the day memorizing where all the wires are. Then when it comes down to a tussle we lure her in here. She'll be pretty much shut down and we'll be able to move as we please."

Rin was a bit surprised. Maybe it was his blatant disregard for his own personal safety but Rin's impression of Shirou had always been that he was earnest, dedicated, and well meaning but not terribly bright. It was actually endearing, the way he tried so hard at everything and let the consequences to himself be damned. But the wire trap and his light car contraption showed that he was more clever than he let on. Perhaps much more clever.

"Good thinking, but how are supposed to get Lancer to...wah!" Rin let out a small shout of alarm as her leg caught on one of the trip wires that she hadn't noticed.

Her arms windmilled as she tried to right herself but she had taken too big a step and was toppling forward when Shirou caught her. He moved surprisingly fast, supporting her in his arms and pulling her upright.

"You okay?" He asked, his eyes moving back and forth between hers searchingly.

Rin's fingers tightened on his biceps. It was such a small thing but she was suddenly at a loss for words. Behind her Berserker cleared his throat and Rin pulled away from Shirou a little too quickly.

"Oh, I'm fine!" She said brightly, waving her hands in an oddly self conscious gesture.

Her shin smarted where it had hit the wire. If she hadn't been wearing the stockings that Shirou liked it probably would have cut her.

Shirou looked a little embarrassed himself and continued the conversation as if nothing had happened to ease the tension.

"How're we gonna get Lancer here? You went back to that restaurant to get Magnus's number, right? I figured it'd be as easy as callin' him up and challenging him to a duel. Then we banish Lancer back to Hero-Ville dimension and he's out of the war." He said.

"That probably wont work, but it's a good start. Magnus is smart enough to expect a trap if we just call him here. But we can find out where he's staying, hopefully with a little surveillance we'll be able to find a way to lure him here. The first thing we should do is..." Rin said but was interrupted by the generic tweeting of a cellular telephone.

She and Shirou both looked at each other expectantly. He jumped as the phone rang again and dug a hand into his pocket.

"Whoops! Looks like it's me. Forgot I had the darn thing. Hello?" He said, flicking open the cheap pre-paid phone and lifting it up to his ear.

His face sobered after a few brief words from the other side of the line.

"Don't do anything stupid, I'll be right there. Lobo! Don't do anything stupid, d'you hear...crud." He said and clicked the phone shut as the line went dead.

"That was El Lobo, er, Carlos the Wolf. That burial agent that bailed us out a couple days ago. We've got a situation." He said tersely.

He grabbed Rin's hand and quickly guided her out of the wire trap, Berserker tight on their heels. Ten minutes and one tense car ride later they stood at the steps of an office building in the city center just outside of city hall. Shirou rushed up the fire escape to the roof with Rin and Berserker in tow. He froze as soon as he made the roof, slowly raising his hands over his head.

Carlos the Wolf knelt at the far corner of the roof, his massive silver revolver pointed at Shirou's chest. He re-holstered it when he saw who it was and Shirou dropped his hands. Carlos was crouched about six feet back from the side of the roof, the distance between himself and the ledge made up with a massive military grade anti materiel sniper rifle that rested on a bipod. It was longer than Rin was tall, with a thick barrel and a bulky scope that had been treated with anti-glare finish so that it wouldn't glint and give away the shooter's position. There was a case next to the rifle presumably for the storage of the weapon and Rin could see several loose shells. Each was nearly the size of her forearm.

Carlos snorted and turned his attention back to looking through the scope at the white facade of the city hall building, which was across the square from the building they were on.

"I see you brought your girlfriend and her pet freak. You always did have shit taste in companions, Samuel." He said derisively.

"I am _not _his..." Rin began, incensed, but Shirou cut her off.

"Good to see you've still got your sunny disposition, Lobo. Why did you call me?" Shirou said, the tension in his voice giving Rin pause. He obviously considered Carlos to be the most dangerous person on the roof.

"I've got eyes on one of the Masters. He came here about an hour ago, tripped one of the flags I set up in the city archives. He's searching for something. Subterranean building codes. Power draw. I figured maybe you could shed some light on the issue." Carlos said.

Rin drew in a sharp breath. She knew what they were searching for, the underground lab complex that housed Project Omega. But since she hadn't had a chance to discuss her findings from the security file with Shirou he wouldn't know that.

"No earthly idea." He said frankly, crouching near the edge of the roof to get a good look at the city hall building. It had a large central clock tower flanked by oval domes on the corners. Quite a beautiful building.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Rin debating whether or not to fill them in. She decided against it. She didn't trust Carlos, even though he had saved her life from Lancer and Magnus, and she could always tell Shirou later. Thinking back on the incident something occurred to her.

"Why guns? Burial agents hunt the forces of the supernatural, right? Surely an enchanted blade would be a more effective weapon." She said, kneeling on the roof next to Shirou.

Carlos snorted again.

"This isn't just a gun. Look closer, girl." He said.

Rin frowned but focused her magical sight on the weapon. It was perfectly ordinary. No...that wasn't quite right. The body of the rifle was distinctly non-magical. But when she directed her probe at the magazine or any of the stray shells lying around they didn't scan as mundane. They simply didn't scan at all. There was a small aura around each bullet that her magical senses couldn't penetrate. Her eyes widened slightly.

"Anti-magic ammunition?" She asked.

"Bingo. They'll punch through barrier spells like they aren't even there, dispel magical healing, even banish incorporeal creatures. And anything that _is_ corporeal, well, I don't care how magical you are. If you've got a fifty caliber hole punched in your brain pan you aren't going anywhere. Or at least you'll hold still for a proper exorcism. There isn't a single motherfu-" Carlos began but was interrupted.

Shirou punched him.

Not hard, but a quick jab that was enough to snap Carlos' head back. He and Rin both stared at Shirou in surprise. Rin half expected Carlos to start shooting at them.

"Don't cuss. There's a lady here." Shirou said matter of factly.

The tension stretched for a moment and then broke when Carlos let out a rumbling chuckle. He re-shouldered the rifle and focused on the entrance to the city hall once more.

"Heh, I'd forgotten what a boyscout you are." He said, letting the matter drop.

For her part Rin was glad that all attention was on the building and off the thousand watt blush rising in her cheeks. Her embarrassment was short lived when Carlos pricked up.

"There they are." He said, looking down into the square through the scope of the massive sniper rifle.

Shirou quickly rummaged around in the case and found a pair of binoculars. He examined Carlos's target briefly before handing them off to Rin.

"Rin, do you recognize 'em?" He asked.

She did. The shorter had curly black hair and dark stubble. The taller had flowing blonde hair and a golden beard.

"We need to get out of here. Now." She said urgently. If it was anyone else they might stand a chance. But against…

"It's Saber. He can take out half a block with a flick of his wrist. There's no way we can face him without some kind of plan." She said.

Shirou and Berserker looked concerned but Carlos remained unphased. The only reaction he showed was a soft stretching sound as his leather gloved hand tightened on the grip of his rifle.

"He won't get a chance to make that swing." He said grimly.

Shirou didn't sound as confident.

"Are you sure? Will those bullets of yours dispel a Servant?" Shirou asked.

"I'm not aiming at the Servant." Carlos replied grimly.

Shirou gave him a sharp look.

"No. Dispelling Servants is one thing, but we aren't going to kill anybody."

"Do you know who that is? Kirill Roschenko. He's a mage assassin. He's got a file at the Vatican as long as my arm. Murder, dark summoning and worse. He's a shithead in the service of shitheads." Carlos sneered.

"Never the less, we aren't gonna kill him." Shirou said sternly.

Carlos fixed him with a level glare and then raised his rifle.

"You're still too naïve, and it's going to get you killed." He said with a tone of deadly finality.

Before Rin could intervene Carlos brought the rifle to bear, zoned down the scope, and squeezed on the trigger. At that same instant Shirou lunged towards him, not fast enough to stop him from firing but fast enough to knock the barrel away. The gunshot sent a shockwave of dust blowing away from the end of the barrel, its crack resounding around the square as loud as a thunderbolt. Rin clapped her hands to her ears too late and the gunshot left them ringing.

Carlos seized Shirou by the collar furiously and shook him like a rag doll, bellowing obscenities that Rin couldn't hear into his face. For a sickening instant she was afraid that he was going to be thrown off of the roof but Carlos dropped him in a heap and dove for the large case that she had assumed was for the sniper rifle. He opened it to reveal a large caliber heavy machine gun with a massive box magazine. It was the sort of thing meant to be operated by a two man team from an entrenched position. Carlos simply hoisted it one handed and sprinted to the corner of the roof where he had a rappelling rig secured to a carabiner.

As he fast-roped to the ground Rin felt Shirou's hand on her shoulder. Her hearing was slowly returning as the ringing in her ears faded. Shirou pushed her into Berserker's arms and then made a run for the rope.

"Get her out of here!" He called to Berserker over his shoulder.

Rin's face flushed again, this time with rage.

"Oh no you don't!" She yelled at his back.

Without thinking she reached out and breathed a chant, conjuring a shimmering wall of force to block Shirou's path. He couldn't stop in time and bounced off it ineffectually. Rin stalked up to him, grabbed him by the collar as Carlos had done just moments before, and dragged his faced down to within inches of hers. Luckily she was too furious to get agitated by the proximity.

"I am _sick_ of you treating me like a child. I am a fully capable mage, I can take care of myself, and you are _not _going to leave me behind again. Furthermore if you go down there you _are_ going to be killed. That's Saber. He could obliterate this entire square with a single swing. We all need to get out of here, now, and you are coming with me!" She growled.

It was Shirou's turn to blush and stammer but Rin didn't let up. She dragged him by his collar towards the fire escape at the back of the building. There was a spatter of gunfire from below Shirou tugged himself free from her grasp. He quickly moved to the edge of the building and Rin followed, exasperated.

Below in the square Kirill and Saber had taken cover behind a parked car. Carlos was slowly circling around to where he would be able to get a shot at them, occasionally sending a burst of fire spattering against the hood of the car to force their heads down. The few tourists and business men had long since fled the scene leaving the square largely deserted. Magic and servant duals were esoteric enough that the attracted the curious and the stupid. Everyone knew to run away from the sound of gunfire.

It was only a matter of time before Carlos got into position to finish off the duo ducked behind the car but Rin couldn't imagine that Kirill would just wait for him to come in range and kill them. With a quick glance through her third eye Rin could sense a spell building in the Russian mage. He was no doubt preparing to blast Carlos with eldritch sorceries. He was too far away to counter what he was doing but without thinking Rin threw her hands up. A spike of power shot through her just as a similar spike erupted from Kirill. Rin conjured up a wall of force between him and Carlos to protect the burial agent from whatever spell Kirill was conjuring at the same instant that he unleashed it.

She cursed as she saw what spell Kirill had cast. It wasn't a fireball or bolt of energy, it was a simple fail-weapons spell targeted at the gun. For a moment Rin hoped that Carlos's special anti-magic ammunition would prevent the spell from working but the gun itself was perfectly mundane, only the bullets were enchanted. There was a sudden silence as the clatter of Carlos's weapon fell silent.

Even as Carlos struggled to clear his suddenly jammed gun Saber vaulted over the hood of the car and sprinted towards him. Carlos let the useless weapon drop to his feet and readied himself to meet Saber's charge with a combat knife that he pulled from a hidden sheath in his boot. For all his fearlessness there wasn't anything his short blade could do against the legendary Saber. The battle was over in a single stroke.

Shirou averted his eyes from the killing blow bitterly but Rin knew they had bigger problems. Her ill advised shield spell had given away their position even more effectively than the gunshot had. Even now she could see Kirill directing Saber towards them.

"We need to get out of here. Now." She said.

Berserker shook his head.

"If we run he'll just nuke the building. No, there's only one way we're getting out of this. Or, rather, there's only one way the two of you are getting out of this." He said.

He gave Shirou a long, significant look. Shirou nodded solemnly. They reached out briefly and clasped hands.

"No. No! You can't!" Rin protested, tears stinging at her eyes. But it was too late. As if on a signal Shirou swept her off her feet and threw her over his shoulder, sprinting towards the fire escape. At the same time Berserker sprinted in the opposite direction, grabbing the rope and sliding down to street level.

Rin's struggles proved fruitless but she reflexively reached out and sent a tendril of force to wrap around Shirou's feet. They both went sprawling but Rin scrambled to her feet and dashed past Shirou before he could grab her again. She stood on the edge of the roof watching as the scene below her unfolded. She heard Shirou approach behind her but he made no more moves to carry her off. He seemed to accept that she was determined to stay here, in the blast radius of Saber's phantasm. Neither spoke.

Below them Berserker drew to a halt in front of Saber. Berserker stood straight backed and unarmed, facing down his death with a calm dignity that shamed the torrent of hopelessness that Rin felt welling inside her.

"Destroy them!" Kirill commanded. He had ceased his cowering behind the bullet hole riddled car and was now standing atop it triumphantly.

Saber hesitated. His grip tightened on his massive sword.

"Master, he's unarmed. There is no honor in…" He began but Kirill cut him off sharply.

"Annihilate them!"

"...As you wish, Master."

Saber's jaw clenched but he raised his arm. In his hand Gram began to glow, a soft blue light enveloped the blade, its edged outlined with purest white. Time seemed to slow as Berserker dashed forward. His only chance was to tackle Saber, to engage him before he could deploy his phantasm. But the distance was too great. Berserker had yards to go, all Saber had to do was bring his arm down in a swift and decisive stroke. From her rooftop vantage point Rin felt like the helplessness of the situation would drown her. There was nothing she could do.

Except...

There was just one thing. She didn't see how it would help in this situation at all but there was one small advantage that she could confer on her Servant.

"Berserker! Activate your Mad Enhancement!" She cried. It was a slim chance, next to none, but Rin had no other options.

Berserker froze. Rin gasped softly as a lance of pain shot through her arm, one of her precious command seals vanishing. Saber frowned, glanced up at the rooftop, and then brought his sword down in a violent arc.

"Take a deep breath." Rin said, grabbing into Shirou.

And then her world exploded.

Her nerves burned as she pulled all available prana from her reserves and from the gems she was carrying, funneling it all into a shield around them. Instead of a regular hollow bubble of force she encased herself and Shirou in a solid sphere of mana as dense as she could make it. The solid force pressed them together but even as it blacked out her vision and covered her mouth she could feel the nuclear fire of the explosion tearing through the outer layers.

_There's no way_. She thought. _No way to block an explosion of this magnitude._

She felt the shield failing, the heat encroaching in on them. Layer by layer her defenses peeled away as the hungry fire devoured them, seeking their tender flesh. Even in the cushioning bubble of the shield she was conscious of tumbling end over end. She buried her face in Shrou's chest as she waited for the end.

The shield lasted for three heartbeats and consumed every scrap of prana Rin had available. However much it was it must have been enough, because four heartbeats later she was still alive. She cautiously opened her eyes.

She was laying atop Shirou in the rubble that had seconds ago been a building. Here and there a fire burned, behind them a water main had burst and was geysering upwards. Everything in the square in front of Saber had been obliterated in a neat angular scar.

And there, standing in front of Saber, his chest heaving, every scrap of clothing burned away by the inferno, stood Berserker. Rin could do nothing but stare dumbly. Between the shock and the exhaustion of expending all of her prana in a single spell she was barely conscious. It was impossible. Impossible. Nobody could survive that.

Rin gasped. Suddenly she felt a pressure on her magical senses as if even more power were being drawn through her.

_What's happening? How could Berserker have survived that blow?_ She wondered dumbly, her suddenly exhausted brain trying to make sense of the situation. With a supreme effort of will she summoned Berserker's data sheet. She looked at his stats, at his skills.

STRENGTH: D

ENDURANCE: D

AGILITY: D

MAGIC: D

LUCK: D

CLASS ABILITIES: **Mad Enhancement **Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad….

She felt the change again and before her eyes Berserker's stats shifted.

STRENGTH: C

ENDURANCE: C

AGILITY: C

MAGIC: C

LUCK: C

CLASS ABILITIES: **Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement** Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad….

And again. And again.

STRENGTH: A

ENDURANCE: A

AGILITY: A

MAGIC: A

LUCK: A

CLASS ABILITIES: **Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad** Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad….

The pulse continued like a mad drummer beating at Rin's soul. She felt like a chip of wood caught in a tidal flood as energy poured through her in a torrent. She swooned and Shirou caught her in strong arms.

STRENGTH: EX+

ENDURANCE: EX+

AGILITY: EX+

MAGIC: EX+

LUCK: EX+

CLASS ABILITIES: **Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad** **Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad Enhancement Mad**….

Rin felt like she was watching something happening in a dream, or perhaps a nightmare. Berserker looked calm and still on the surface but his breathing was labored. His muscles bulged and grew, stretching his skin into the grotesque hyper-masculine caricature that he had been when she had first summoned him. He vibrated with insane, inhuman rage. His face was a mask of unholy, bestial fury. Nothing could be seen in his countenance of the gentle and quiet man that Rin had come to know. She reached out tentatively through the link that they shared and recoiled. His mind was a seething turmoil of agony, cruelty, the desire to hurt, to rend, to kill.

Saber's nuclear attack hadn't even scratched him.

Even from behind him Saber's attack had bowled Kirill over. Instead of rising he stared in horror at Berserker's face. He scrambled backwards, desperately trying to claw his way through the car that he found his back against.

"Kill it kill it kill it!" He shrieked, panicked.

Saber retained his cool, appraising his suddenly enhanced enemy with nothing more than a raised eyebrow. He lifted his sword again, preparing for a second attack. Rin didn't see what Berserker did. His movements were too fast to follow with her eyes. But the next instant he had dashed and seized Saber by the throat with one hand and the wrist with the other to stop his swing. He snarled like a beast. The two stood chest to chest, muscles straining. Saber fought to free himself but against Berserker he may as well have been a child. His free hand balled into a fist and rammed again and again into Berserker's side with all the strength that he could muster. It was like he was slamming his fist against a brick wall.

A look of panic shot through his face. Berserker's knuckles cracked, his sinews strained. He pulled his right hand farther and farther away from his left. Rin's mouth gaped in horror and Shirou clapped a hand over her eyes to shield her from the sight. There was a sickeningly wet, meaty tearing sound and the soft thump of two equally sized bits being discarded. She shrank down farther into Shirou's arms as she heard Berserker pounce on Kirill. There was a sharp shriek and a series of wet packing sounds like someone slapping a raw steak onto a hard counter, then silence.

Shirou tremblingly lowered his hand and Rin averted her eyes from the gruesome scene. Berserker stood with his back to them. Blood dripped down his forearms. Shirou cautiously got to his feet and moved between Rin and Berserker.

"H-hey buddy. You...you alright?" He asked uncertainly, moving forward to put a hand on Berserker's shoulder. It didn't occur to Rin to stop him until it was too late.

With animalistic swiftness Berserker whirled on Shirou. He dealt him a backhanded blow that lifted him off his feet and sent him crashing into a nearby car hard enough to shatter the windshield. A familiar burst of power surged from Shirou as he fortified his body against the blow but even with his powers Rin could hear his bones crack. In a flash Berserker was on him, bellowing with incoherent rage and raining down blows powerful enough to splinter the concrete beneath them. Shirou pulsed, more power than Rin had ever seen him output, but he still wasn't even a fraction of a match for Berserker.

Each blow staggered him to his core. It was only a matter of time until Berserker finished him. Still dazed Rin finally managed to find her voice.

"Stop...don't...no...NO! GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Rin yelled, her voice starting small and rising to a panicked shriek. She gasped once again as a second searing lance of agony burned through her arm. A second command seal in as may minutes gone.

The effect on Berserker was instant. His fist stopped its downward swing and Shirou, propped up against the car, slumped forwards in unconsciousness. Berserker recoiled backwards, the magic of the contract propelling him away from Shirou. He backpedaled, clutching at his head. As Rin watched as his bulging muscles faded, shrank, and disappeared. The expression on his face shifted from rage to horror as he saw the blood that coated his hands and chest, the nightmarish scene of carnage that he had caused. His eyes widened in shock and then narrowed in despair.

"Oh god, Rin..." He moaned.

"I...I remember! I remember everything! You...me...that place..." He seemed lost. Dazed. Perhaps unable to comprehend what he had done. Suddenly his expression shifted to one of realization, of grim hope.

"I'm here...now...that means it's not too late!" He lunged forwards once again but was forced back by Rin's command seal, clutching at his head.

"Shirou...it's Shirou! You have to kill Shirou!" He said urgently, his voice nearly pleading as the magic forced him back, and back, until he was running. He disappeared into the rubble and Rin stared dumbly after him.

What had he meant? Nothing he said made sense. Nothing in the world made sense to Rin right now. Weakly she crawled to where Shirou had fallen. He was bruised and broken, many of his bones shattered, his face swollen almost beyond recognition. Rin tenderly cradled his head as she wept, her tears falling onto his face. What could have happened?

Desperate for clues she once again looked at Berserker's sheet. His stats were all E rank, his Mad Enhancement power inactive. But to Rin's shock a new entry had appeared revealing Berserker's noble phantasm. Unfortunately it made even less sense than the rest of his sheet. She didn't think it could possibly be accurate.

NOBLE PHANTASM: Armageddon

TYPE: Anti World

DESCRIPTION: Destroys target.


	23. Chapter 22

Rin scrubbed a charred sleeve across her face and gritted her teeth, a look of grim determination replacing the look of hopelessness in her eyes. Now was _not_ the time to be blubbering like a child. She was always relying on Berserker to be strong, or relying on Shirou to be strong, Rin had to take a moment to remind herself that _she_ was strong. Giving up simply wasn't something that she did.

Even though he was unconscious Shirou still radiated power faintly. Most likely his self fortification magic was the only thing keeping him alive. With all of her prana expended Rin couldn't use magic to stabilize him or even scan him to determine the extent of his injuries. She felt useless, like she was missing one of her limbs.

_How frustrating. Could this be what Berserker felt? _She thought. The sudden thought of Berserker was like running a finger along a fresh wound. If it wasn't for the tragedy of the situation Rin would have laughed at the cruel irony.

_What a fool I was. I assumed that there was something wrong with him. That I had summoned the weakest possible servant. I had no idea how powerful he really is._

The swiftly approaching wail of sirens told Rin that she had no more time to reflect. Quickly she pulled herself to her feet and did her best to lift Shirou. Most of his left side had been utterly pulverized. His arm hung at an uncomfortable angle and while he had no compound fractures it was obvious that it was broken in several places. His face was the color of an eggplant and the texture of a cauliflower, bruises and abrasions purpling its surface into an unrecognizable landscape of broken flesh. Rin could feel broken ribs beneath her fingers as she threw his right arm over her shoulder and half dragged, half carried him away from the wreckage. She winced in sympathetic pain but despite the damage that moving him may cause she had no choice.

Rin kept moving until one of the distant sirens resolved itself into a careening firetruck from around a nearby corner. She ducked out of sight in a nearby alleyway and laid Shirou down as gently as she could, glancing over her shoulder to make sure they hadn't been spotted and struggling to catch her breath. He wasn't a lightweight at the best of times and with his magic increasing his body's durability and density he was almost too much for Rin to carry.

_I need to get in touch with Ilya_. She thought.

A quick glance at her cellphone showed that the electromagnetic force from Saber's nuclear attack had fried it. Rin gingerly checked Shirou's pocket for his phone on the hope that it might still be working but all she found were shards of plastic and silicone. Rin bit her lip.

She couldn't risk leaving Shirou in his current condition but without her magic she had no way of sending a message to Ilya. If she tried to carry him through the street she was sure to be spotted and questioned, possibly even arrested. Rin desperately cast about for anything that would help when a sudden idea struck her.

Quickly she rummaged around in her pocket. Did she have it? Yes!

Rin pulled out the small washer that she had enchanted to notify her when Caster's map went off. It held only a spark of magic, tenuously linked to the distant map in the Von Einsbern estate. Hopefully it would be enough. If Rin had any magic of her own left she would send a pulse down that connection to light up the map. As it was she had no prana to use, and if she drained any from the washer it would sever the connection.

Rin focused in on the tiny ring, her tongue between her teeth in concentration as she executed an extremely delicate magical operation. Carefully avoiding adding or removing any prana from the link she subtly manipulated it, stretching it and gathering as much energy as she could into a bundle at the washer. Without any prana of her own to work with the operation was like sifting grains of sand around with a yardstick, trying to coax them here or there into position without accidentally severing the link to the map.

The end result was hair thin wisp of prana with a slightly larger glob bundled up in the washer that Rin held in her hand. She took a breath, crossed her fingers, and deftly severed the link between the map and the washer. In theory the small bundle of prana would go whipping back to its source like a rubber band snapping back, creating a blip on the map. If she didn't make the thread of prana too thin. If Ilya and Caster were monitoring the map. If they hadn't left already to investigate the massive burst of energy that Berserker would have registered.

With help hopefully on the way Rin knelt back down besides Shirou to see what she could do for him. She had no way to tell if he was bleeding internally or going into shock. Still, the steady glow of magical energy radiating from his reflexive self fortification hadn't dimmed at all. That had to be a good sign.

Without anything to use for proper bandages Rin tore several long strips from the bottom of her skirt and used them as best she could to stop his bleeding. Although Berserker hadn't attacked him with a bladed weapon he still had cuts and abrasions from where he had been slammed into the car and a large ugly patch of exposed flesh where he had slid across the concrete. Rin also tore some wooden siding off a nearby building to form some makeshift splints so she could stabilize his broken arm and leg.

By the time she was done she didn't have much skirt left. She would have been embarrassed if not for the seriousness of the situation.

Luckily she was saved from having to decide between waiting hopelessly for rescue and carrying Shirou through the streets when an elderly male voice called out from the other side of the alleyway.

"I've found them, over here!"

Rin looked up as Caster and Ilya rushed around the corner. She heaved a sigh of relief but Caster's calculating glance and Ilya's horrified pause reaffirmed the desperation of the situation. She was kneeling over Shirou's broken form, her clothing charred and tattered, her face smudged with soot and blood. Shirou was unconscious and obviously gravely injured. Berserker was nowhere to be seen.

Rin braced herself for Ilya to throw herself into a hug but oddly enough she bit her lip, eyes downcast and shuffling from foot to foot. She looked almost guilty, probably beating herself up about not arriving sooner. Rin brushed off Ilya's odd behavior and beckoned her and Caster forwards.

"I did what I could for him but he's hurt. Badly. We need to stabilize him and get him back to the mansion." Rin said urgently.

Ilya knelt beside her, oddly keeping a cold distance between them.

_Of course._ Rin thought. _She must be angry with me for putting her crush in danger. Nothing for it now, I'll have to make it up to her later._

Caster's hand stretched out and he ran an intricate magical diagnosis on Shirou's injuries. His brow rose slightly in that way it did when he'd discovered something interesting, always the scientist at heart.

"Interesting. He should be safe to move. But we need to act quickly. He hasn't got long." He said.

There was a light glow of magical energy as Caster levitated Shirou's prone form a few feet off the ground, careful to keep his limbs stable as they moved out.

"Can't you put him into a state of stasis? Like you did with Berserker?" Rin asked tersely.

The curious glances directed her way showed that her companions were both wondering where Berserker was. Neither came out and asked given the gravity of the situation. Rin was glad, she didn't know if she was up to explaining his madness or her own foolish mistake.

"I don't want to risk it. Berserker pulled power from the Grail, which is functionally infinite. Given the source of Shirou's powers and the rate he's burning through them putting him in stasis could lock them into a continual state of drain. That may kill him faster than his in injuries. Or it may not, but I wouldn't want to risk it."

By now they were within sight of the car. It took Rin a moment to realize what Caster had said.

"Given the source of his powers? You...you can tell where they come from?" Rin asked in wonderment.

The source of Shirou's seemingly unlimited mana had been one of the mysteries that intrigued Rin the most about him. She assumed it related in some way to the weapon that he possessed but she couldn't be sure. If Caster could shed some light on the issue it would help her to fathom out the true nature of the Omega weapon.

"You mean you don't...you two were so close, I assumed you knew." Caster said, quirking an eyebrow at Rin.

Rin didn't think Caster meant to come off as pretentious or a know-it-all, he simply lacked social tact and didn't realize that not everybody is a Servant level mage or a mechanical genius. Still Rin sighed exasperatedly. By now he had gingerly folded Shirou into the rear seat of the car. Rin got in beside him. He groaned as he slumped over, his head in her lap. For a moment Rin thought he was coming too but it was simply the pain of shifting around that pierced his fog of unconsciousness.

"Just tell me." She said tensely.

To her surprise Ilya took the wheel. She supposed it was to be expected, Caster wasn't exactly around in a time where he could learn how to drive.

Caster looked back at her over his seat, the city sliding past in the window as he contemplated her.

"He doesn't access prana the way that you and I do. He uses a different system, very powerful, but also very dangerous. Look at him. Look at the way he's accessing his energy. See if you can work it out." Caster said.

Rin gritted her teeth in frustration. She needed answers, not a lesson in investigative magecraft. Between the exhaustion and the stress her temper was at a breaking point. She forced herself to calm down and focused in on the magical aura that surrounded Shirou. There was a bubble that encompassed his form, the lensing effect that served the dual purpose of amplifying his magic and limiting his spells to his own body. But even with the effect increasing the power of his fortification spell the base amount of magical energy was more than a normal mage would be able to produce, and certainly more than they would be able to maintain for as long as Shirou had.

"There's a lensing effect, but that can't be all. There's too much power. He shouldn't be able to expend so much without recharging his prana reserves. I don't know where he gets it." She said, frustration tinging her words.

Caster considered for a long moment before he spoke again.

"Your prana reserves are like a cup of water standing in the rain. You draw mana out and the cup empties, you have to wait a while for it to fill up again. But since you're always collecting ambient..." He began in the tone of a teacher lecturing a student.

Rin waved her hand dismissively. It was a first year student's analogy. Actually she had used almost the exact same analogy when explaining how prana works to Shirou. The irony wasn't lost on her as she waved away Caster's explanation.

"I know all that, but how..." She began, but Caster cut her off.

"Now imagine that instead of drawing water out of the cup and letting it refill you instantly cut the top inch away from the rim. What would happen? A massive torrent of water would be released all at once. It would be far, far more powerful than drawing water out a bit at a time. But..."

"But the cup will never hold the same amount of water again." Rin finished grimly.

A sudden wave of cold rushed through her body. She felt like she'd been dunked in ice water.

"But...what does that mean?" She asked, afraid of what the answer might be.

Caster shrugged uncomfortably.

"To be honest I'm not sure. He's paying with his magical ability. His soul. The actual toll on his body could be anything from..."

Rin's eyes widened with sudden realization.

_"I...try not to use it for trivial reasons. I don't wanna use it all up." _

"_Life's too short to wait around, ya know?" _

"_Life's too short."_

"Life. It's his lifespan." She said dully.

And deep in her gut she knew it was true. She had always knew that Shirou was the type of man who would give his life for another person. What she didn't realize was that he did give his life for other people in a very literal way, minutes or hours or days at a time leeched away every time he activated his powers. He could give up the Omega weapon, cast it away, or if it was somehow part of him refuse to use it. But he didn't. He fought with every inch of his might whenever innocent people were in danger.

_And me_. Rin though. _He fought for me so many times. I never knew..._

She sat in silence for the remainder of the ride. There was nothing she could do for Shirou but cradle his head tenderly and hope for the best.

When they arrived Caster once again levitated Shirou inside, laying him on the kitchen table as Melva clucked her tongue and went to prepare hot water and bandages.

With Rin looking on anxiously Caster and Ilya set to work patching Shirou back together with mending spells and healing magic. By the end of the procedure Ilya was too tired to continue from the double strain of channeling Caster's power and using her own to help. She sat slumped in a chair seemingly refusing to look at Rin who was wracked with another pang of guilt.

When Caster was finally finished he straightened over Shirou's body and wiped his bloodied hands off on a towel that Melva handed him. Unlike the traditional magical healing that Rin and Ilya used Caster's didn't seem to be based around rapidly accelerating the healing process, but rather by moving the injured area backwards through time to a point before it had been damaged. As such his healing left no scars the way Rin's did.

Even with all the healing he had received to get him out of danger Shirou was in far from perfect shape. Caster had healed his most life threatening injuries but left his surface abrasions and bruises alone. He mentioned over healing and the risk of sending Shirou into temporal shock, not something that Rin wanted to find out what it was.

In the end Caster and Rin gingerly carried Shirou to his room and tucked him into bed. Thankfully his powers had faded and ceased automatically as his damage was healed, confirming Rin's hypothesis that they acted both under Shirou's control and involuntarily as some sort of defense mechanism. Ilya fawned over him a bit and then straightened. The look in her eyes told Rin that she had something to say but she bit her lip and rushed from the room instead, her eyes blinking back tears.

Rin was too exhausted to chase after her. No, for Ilya's sake she would make the effort. But when she went to rise Caster put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Let her be." He said with fatherly concern. "You'll only make it more difficult for her."

Rin buried her head in her hands.

"She's in love with Shirou. No wonder she's so upset with me." She said, biting back emotion.

Caster nodded but hesitated to speak, as if unsure of his next words.

"I…don't think that's it. Oh, I do think she's in love with him. At least she thinks she is, the way any sixteen year old girl would love a handsome, mysterious stranger dropped into her life. She would love him the same way if he were a character in a play or a daydream that she entertained to pass the time. For what he represents, not what he is. But in this case I doubt her thoughts are on Shirou. It's you she's worried about. And…" Caster hesitated and trailed off.

"Between you and Shirou she'd choose you every time. That's what makes this so hard for her. She…" Once again he trailed off. It was unlike Caster to be lost for words but Rin was too tired and sick with worry for Shirou to analyze it.

Caster put a hand on her shoulder one more time before leaving.

"She's a good girl and a good friend. Don't be too hard on her afterwards." He said over his shoulder before closing the door.

Rin found herself alone with Shirou. He wasn't in a state for conversation so Rin simply sat by his beside and held his hand, his broken fingers just recently mended. She watched the sun sink towards the horizon, she tried to puzzle out her next move, she worked away at the emotional snarl that seemed to have collected around her, but eventually the exhaustion and stress took its toll.

…

She awoke disoriented and groggy. It was pitch black outside the window, the moon and stars blocked by a shroud of clouds. The only illumination was the dim glow of a desk lamp from across the room. A quick glance at the wall clock showed it to be a couple of hours after midnight.

Rin had fallen asleep in her chair, her head rested on her folded arms as she leaned forward over the edge of the bed. Since she had fallen asleep holding Shirou's hand it was trapped in the circle of her arms pressed up against her cheek. It was moving and the motion had wakened her.

Rin pushed herself up only to see Shirou pulling himself up as well. He winced as he righted himself and leaned back against the headboard, looking just as groggy as Rin felt. Rin was always so comfortable in his presence, even when he was at his most exasperating, but suddenly she found her self shy. Nervous of accusations or recriminations.

She needn't have worried.

As soon as he saw her Shirou's face broke into a grin. He jockeyed his head around a bit and reached up to rub out a kink in his neck with an exaggerated wince.

"Whelp, you sure do know how to pick 'em, Rin. That Berserker of yours hits like a mack truck." He said with a chuckle, falling back on his old defense mechanism of making light of every situation.

"I'm sorry, he could have killed you. He almost did. I…I didn't know…" Rin hung her head.

"Awww, c'mon now, buck up. There's no you could've known what would happen. 'Sides, I get smacked around plenty. I'm used to it. Life's too short to dwell on the things that go wrong. You just gotta keep moving forward, right?" He said with a wink.

Rin bit her bottom lip.

"Caster told me about the source of your power. The…price you pay." She said.

Shirou sighed and flopped back down, crossing his hands behind his head and staring up at the ceiling. The silence stretched between them for a long moment, just becoming uncomfortable as Shirou sat back up and drew his feet in, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Guess the cat's outa the bag, huh? So are you gonna start acting totally weird around me now?" He said morosely, his eyes searching Rin's face.

"Of course not!" She said quickly. "I mean, I don't know. How can you do it? How can you give so much of yourself all the time? You don't keep anything."

Shirou shrugged.

"It's not like my life was doing _me_ much good. Besides, I made a promise to an old…friend." He said.

His words were just as light as they always were but somehow Rin could detect a grave seriousness beneath them. This was the core of who Shirou was, what made him tick.

"I read through that security file." Rin said quietly.

"It talked about the break-in at the complex, the man who stole away a…a survivor. Your friend...it was him, wasn't it? It was Emiya?"

Shirou looked at her sharply and then dropped his eyes in sorrow.

"He was the best person I'd ever met. He taught me how to be a man. No, that's not quite right. He taught me how to be a human. The last thing he ever said to me...'Be good'. That was it. Just be good. How could I do less after what he gave me?"

"What happened to him?"

Shirou turned his face away.

"He…died." He said, pausing for a long moment to search for the word. His voice was filled with a bitterness that Rin had never heard before and it took her by surprise.

The silence stretched once again, each of them brooding on their thoughts until Shirou spoke up again in his usual cheerful voice.

"Ah, but what's past is past right? What matters is what you do now. Life too short and all that." He said.

Rin marveled once again that he could be so up beat against all the pain that he held. She felt as if she should drop the issue but her concern for Shirou was too strong.

"So how...how much do you..." She said in a small voice. It was too much. Too intrusive.

But Shirou only heaved a sigh and rocked backwards.

"How much time do I have left? How long do I have before I run all the way out?" He said, finishing her sentence. Rin instantly regretted the question, unsure if she wanted to know the answer. He shrugged, staring up at the ceiling. The dim light of the lamp silhouetted his features, casting half his face into shadow.

"Does it matter? Less than all of it. More than none of it. I won't keel over tomorrow, or next week, or the week after that. But I won't see thirty either." He said.

His voice was filled with...not regret. Not sadness. But a kind of wistfulness that spoke of everything he would never see or do or experience. He didn't have the look of a man with nothing to lose. He had the look of a man who had nothing to lose for so long that he'd forgotten what it was like. A man consigned to his fate. But, since this was Shirou, a man consigned to go to his fate fighting tooth and nail with a grin on his face the entire way.

Rin slowly moved from her chair, her heart pounding. She meekly sat on the edge of the bed next to Shirou. He gave her a quizzical look, not surprised or eager, just questioning. After an eternity he reached out with a big arm and gathered her in, not in an intimate embrace, but in a firm hug of comfort and friendship. What they both needed wasn't passion, but the simple comfort of feeling a warm body next to them. Rin let her head rest on Shirou's shoulder and he relaxed backwards against the headboard.

They stayed like that for a long time.

"To think that Kotomine could be behind so much suffering. I would never have known him for what he was when I met him." Rin said drowsily.

Without warning Shiou's fingers tightened on her shoulder. He grabbed her by her arms and pushed her away, looking urgently into her eyes.

"Kotomine? You met him? You know where he is!?" He exclaimed, his eyes feverish.

All this time Rin had known that Kotomine was the director of Project Omega. It wasn't until she had read the file and realized Shirou's connection to the project that she knew what a monster he was. Of course! How could she have not realized it right away! There was literally nothing preventing her from marching back into the church and demanding answers from him. Shirou hadn't known that Kotomine was the priest presiding over the Grail War, and Rin hadn't known that he was behind Shirou's tragic history. They had been mere steps from each other and neither had realized it. It would have been comical if it wasn't so tragic.

"Y-yes. He was there, when I registered for the Grail War. I-I just didn't realize how he was mixed up in all this." She said.

Shirou leapt up like a man possessed, obviously determined to storm down to the church immediately and get...what? Answers? Vengeance?

Rin desperately pulled at his shirt as he moved, anchoring him back in reality.

"No, don't go. Not yet. Tomorrow. We'll go tomorrow." She said.

Shirou was seething with energy but he settled for nervous pacing.

"Very well." He said after a long time, his eyes filled with fire and steel.

"Get some sleep. This all ends tomorrow." He said with an air of deadly finality.


	24. Chapter 23

Rin awoke to a gentle but insistent shaking on her shoulder. She opened her eyes blearily and shut them again immediately against the grey pre dawn light. The hours of sleep that she'd managed to snatch hadn't done more than blunt the edge of the exhaustion that was blanketing her brain like cotton, making it impossible to concentrate.

"'ive m'minutes." She mumbled sleepily, turning away from the big figure bent over her bed and burrowing her face back down into her pillow.

The shaking stopped but instead she heard the impatient swishing of socks on carpet as her unwanted wakeup call began pacing beside her bed. Rin tried to ignore the sound but found her self nudged back into wakefulness every time she was just about to doze off again. Her brow furrowed deeper and deeper until she sat up with a jerk and threw the covers off.

"Alright! I'm awake!" She growled.

Shirou paused mid step, his eyes wide and darting back and forth between Rin and her nightgown. She let out a startled eep and blushed at the same time he did, her red face mortified and his splitting into a goofy grin. With a fury born of embarrassment Rin jumped up and hustled Shirou out the door, slamming it behind him hard enough to shake the frame.

Rin emerged some minutes later, cleaned, dressed, and fuming. Shirou was still grinning.

"What can I say? I guess you're just…" He began but Rin cut him off, pointing a finger in his face like she was going to impale him with it.

"Don't. Say. A word." She warned. "Let's go."

She turned on her heel and marched down the stairs. Shirou's levity disappeared as the seriousness of their errand settled over them. Neither of them said anything as they drove through the quiet post dawn streets. It was still earlier than the morning work rush but the sun had already crested the horizon, sending long beams of twinkling sunlight slashing through the deep shadows that still clutched the ground. The effect made the city look like it was cut in half, the tops of the buildings and street signs haloed in golden dawn and the bottoms still steeped in creeping dusk.

As they drove the silence between them deepened into a quiet tension like a rubber band vibrating on the edge of snapping. Shirou looked buried in his thoughts with Rin fighting a torrent of her own. Everything that she had learned about the Grail war, the nature of Project Omega, and her family's shadowy involvement with it pointed towards Kotomine. What secrets would he reveal? And were they secrets that Rin really wanted to know? What about Shirou? What would he do when he confronted Kotomine?

Were she sitting next to anyone else Rin would be worried that he would kill him. But Rin knew Shirou. Shirou risked his life every time he went out, spent it minutes and hours at a time to fuel his abilities, all to save people. Even his enemies. If anything she was worried that Kotomine would get off too easy.

What would Shirou do once he had his answers? Would he leave? Was Rin more curious about Omega because of the connection to her family? Or because of the connection with Shirou?

All of her thoughts and trepidations were pushed the background as Shriou pulled to a stop. Rin looked out the window and realized with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that they had arrived. Shirou opened his door but Rin reached out and snatched his sleeve, reflexively, without even realizing what she had done.

Shirou looked at her quizically.

"Shirou, there's something that I…I just…Just promise me that we're a team. Right? No matter what happens?" Rin said, searching desperately for words but utterly failing.

Shirou settled back into his seat, his eagerness to confront Kotomine cooling in the face of Rin's hesitant need. He looked at her, eyes serious, and reached forward tentatively. He brushed his fingers against Rin's cheek and she leaned into him subconsciously. But after too brief a heartbeat he pulled his hand back. His eyes fell.

"I…I can't promise that everything will be the same. I care about you. I mean I…I…yeah. I care about you. A lot. But I haven't been completely honest with you. I'm, I'm not…I'll tell you everything. That's all that I can promise you. Then you can decide if you…well…I'll tell you everything. After. That's all I can promise." He said.

Rin's heart leapt as the tender moment developed and sank as she felt Shirou's secrets poisoning the air between them. He reached out for her again but she turned her face away, opening the door and pushing herself up. She heard him doing the same on the other side of the car but couldn't look at him. She was torn between hope and apprehension. As intense as her feelings for Shirou were they were, and always had been, tainted by the web of secrets and lies that surrounded him. She hadn't even known him by his true name until the secret was forced out of him. Could he truly be honest with her? And if he did, what would change? Was it a change that she wanted?

"Very well then." She said, her words sounding icy even to her.

"Let's go and get our answers."

She marched resolutely across the small cemetery and Shirou ran to catch her. The chipped tombstones which had lent the yard an eclectic and quaint feel now loomed like deformed grotesqueries watching them as they forged forwards. Shirou pushed past her and reached the door of the chapel first, taking the lead as he pushed the door open. Rin took a deep breath as if she were jumping into a pool of icy water and crossed the threshold, following Shirou inside.

The interior was as dimly lit as Rin remembered it, deep shadows thrown static by the morning sunlight. None of the candles that had burned on her last visit were lit, the morning sun casting the shadows in sharp black and white angles instead of the guttering, cave like illumination from before. Knowing full well Kotomine's penchant for lurking in the shadows Rin narrowed her eyes, trying to pierce the gloom. She scanned the dark galleries and alcoves hunting for the dark priest. Tragically it did not occur to her to look upwards into the dark rafters for the threat that lurked there.

"Kotomine!" Shirou bellowed, standing defiantly before Rin.

"I've come for you!"

There was a rustling in the dark recesses of the chapel and Rin stiffened. Beside her Shirou dropped slightly, his feet spreading into a combat ready stance. Rin's tension eased somewhat when the figure that shuffled into the light wasn't Kotomine, but the elderly priest that had inducted her into the Grail War. Shirou remained coiled like a spring.

The priest's kindly face was still tinged with the sadness that Rin had seen on her first visit. His features tightened when he saw Shirou, a look of panic fluttering over them before he mastered himself once again into a look of serene contemplation.

"So. He's sent you for me at last. I knew it was only a matter of time." He said to Shirou, ignoring Rin entirely and bowing his head.

Rin's gaze darted sharply between the priest and Shirou. They obviously knew each other, or at least the priest knew Shirou. Shirou's pose relaxed and he took a small step forwards. The priest took a fearful step back.

"You've got the wrong idea. I'm free. He doesn't have any control over me any longer." Shirou said, his hands spread in a non threatening gesture.

The priest stepped forwards cautiously, his face a picture of curiosity and even wonderment.

"Why should I believe you? Well, I supplies I'm not dead. That's very nearly proof enough that you aren't his creature any longer. How?" He asked, his crinkled eyes darting over Shirou's features.

Shirou was about to speak but Rin, fed up with being cut out of the conversation, barged forwards.

"Hold it right there! Will _someone_ please tell me what's going on?!" She demanded, glaring at Shirou and the aged priest.

"I'm sorry, I was just surprised…I suppose I should start at the beginning." The priest said.

Shirou nodded and Rin felt hope fighting its way over her anger. At last she would get some answers.

"After the fourth Heaven's Feel it became clear to all parties involved that some deeper form of control was needed. It also became clear that if the Church and the Mages Association continued their rivalry it was only a matter of time before our secrets became exposed or some rogue agent did something that would be harmful to all sides.

"Still, the Church and the Mage's Association have been enemies for countless generations. And so it was decided that the joint project, Project Omega, would be conducted in secret, hidden from both the Association and the Church at large. Kotomine Kirei was the head of the project, appointed as the Church's representative because of his pivotal role in the fourth Grail War.

"We were so foolish. We thought everything was going well. Kotomine's reports were so promising, so reassuring. And then we uncovered a number of oddities. One of the scientists working on the project was killed in an un-related circumstance, a car accident. But we kept getting his reports. We sent agents to investigate Kotomine and Project Omega but they all disappeared or were involved in lethal accidents. For years we had trusted him and in reality Kotomine had betrayed us from the moment he was put in charge of the Project. Sending us fake reports. Kidnapping researchers, mages, and biologists as well as countless innocent test subjects. He went well and truly rogue once we discovered his deception. Cleaned out the Project accounts. Moved his operation. We were able to track him here to the city."

Shirou's eyes lit and he took another step forward.

"He's here? Where?" He asked excitedly.

"And why would you work with him if you knew what he was? What connection is there between the Project and the Grail War? For the War to be initiated here, now, it's too much of a coincidence to be random." Rin added.

She was awash with relief at knowing that her family had nothing to do with the atrocities committed by the Project. The aged priest folded his hands into his sleeves and gestured with his chin towards one of the pews.

"I'll tell you everything I know. Have a seat, this could take a while." He said.

Rin made as if to turn but jerked backwards as she suddenly detected a burst of magical energy from high above her. She whirled but Shirou caught her and leaped backwards, shielding her with his body as he interposed himself between this new interloper. Rin caught a flash of black fabric as a dark figure dropped from its hiding place in the rafters.

The attacker ignored her and leaped on the priest, seizing him by the throat and slamming him up against a nearby pillar. The harsh slanting light cast his shoulders and face in shadow but Rin instantly recognized his magical aura. He was the mysterious mage who had watched her battle with Saber from the shadows! She had seen him several times and each time he had simply observed the proceedings, watching, waiting, and biding his time.

"Now, now." He hissed into the struggling priest's ear.

"We can't have you telling tales, can we?" He said.

Rin's ears perked. His voice was harsh and tinged with cruelty but oh so familiar. Rin knew she had heard him speak before.

"Who are you!" She demanded, pushing her way forward to stand side by side with Shirou.

The dark figure only barked a harsh laugh and to her surprise it was Shirou that answered.

"He's one of Kotomine's enforcers. Be careful. He's dangerous." He said.

The seriousness in Shirou's voice set Rin's teeth on edge and she nodded grimly. She sidestepped slowly, circling around so that a single burst spell wouldn't be able to disable them both. The enforcer slunk deeper into the shadows, whirling the priest around and holding him in front like a human shield.

"Drop him!" Rin said.

She tensed, ready to cast at the first sign of betrayal.

"Give me control of the Omega Weapon." The shadowy figure countered. Oddly he seemed to be addressing her, not Shirou.

"Omega belongs to Shirou now. He has it and nothing you can say will make us give it back to you." She said.

Once again her words were met with a dark laugh. Where had she heard that voice before?

"It's calling itself Shirou now? How…ironic. You foolish, foolish girl. It doesn't _have_ the Omega weapon. It _is _the Omega weapon!" He said in a voice tinge with cruel humor.

The dark enforcer stepped out of the shadows.

Rin gasped. Her eyes widened. Her heart skipped a beat.

It was Shirou.

Rin's jaw hung slack. Her eyes darted between the two men. They weren't similar enough to be brothers. They were perfectly, wholly identical. Only the cruel cast of his eyes and his black tactical combat gear distinguished the figure holding the priest by the throat from the erstwhile companion that Rin had come to rely on.

Magical energy permeated the air as Shirou activated his powers. A dark resonance formed in the currents of prana as his twin activated his as well. The dark figure's face split into a wicked grin, an insidious mockery of Shirou's good natured smile. His eyes flashed danger.

"Sigma, don't…!" Shirou cried.

But it was too late. The doppelganger, Sigma, wrenched his hands sideways and violently snapped the priest's neck. The body slumped bonelessly to the ground, head twisted nearly completely backwards, and Rin clapped a horrified hand over her mouth.

Sigma's grin didn't waver as he slowly stepped backwards back into the shadows. Shirou advanced on him, fists up, his face a mask of fury.

"You think I'm just going to let you walk out of here after what you've done!?" He said, his voice trembling with rage. "You know you're no match for me."

"Of course not, _Omega_." Sigma replied, placing a mocking emphasis on the name. "But then, I don't have to be. You see, I called in several of your friends the moment you arrived. All I had to do is tell them where you were. You're quite a valuable commodity, you know. The should be arriving riiiight, aboooout…"

Rin's eyes widened as she felt a sudden surge of magical energy from behind her.

"Get down!" She cried, tackling Shirou off his feet and pulling him down behind a row of pews.

At least she tried to. With his powers coursing through him Shirou was as hard as a piece of stone and about as dense. Fortunately he got the idea and folded with her momentum, wrapping her in his arms and taking cover beneath one of the wooden pews. At that same instant the surge of magic blossomed into a spell of fiery destruction. The explosion rocked the church, sending the front doors careening through the interior. The pews and Shirou's magically enhanced form shielded Rin from the worst of the blast but her ears were still ringing as she hastily pushed herself to her feet.

The doors had been blasted open, one hanging at an angle and the other flung across the chapel to crash through one of the simple stained glass windows. Dust and rubble drifted through the opening. Sigma was nowhere to be seen.

Instead a pair of figures stood in the now jagged doorway. Both radiated magic like a pair of twin suns, the taller figure shedding the warm golden light of Grail energy and the other a darker, purple radiance like an oil slick over water. Rin cursed and hauled herself upright. It was Archer and the Matou heir, Sakura.

"We may be in trouble." She said to Shirou grimly as he pulled himself up beside her.

Shirou nodded but all further conversation was cut short as Sakura spoke.

"Take the weapon. This one is mine." She said imperiously. Here eyes blazed with something that Rin couldn't define, a hatred that she found shocking considering that she had never met the woman before in her life.

She had not time to consider the turn of events as Sakura lashed out. She sent a tongue of dark fire darting towards Rin and something else, a minor spell that Rin only caught in the nick of time. Sakura had simultaneously cast a lance of fire and a counterspell against shield class spells. Instead of falling into her trap Rin lashed out with a spell of her own, neutralizing the fire with an icy blast and at the same time rerouting Sakura's counter into a mana trap spell that she quickly wove to keep Sakura's mana supplies tapped.

Rin had once heard that fencing was like chess at 100 miles per hour. A mages duel was like three dimensional chess at 100 miles an hour with both players trying their best to cheat. And often the best cheater won.

Sakura coupled her brute force attacks with feints and counter spells, trying to trap Rin in a position where she could neither nullify her spells nor launch an effective counter attack. Her raw magical power was astounding, stronger in terms of raw prana than even Ilya. But she used her magic like a club, smashing and burning everything in sight in an attempt to land a killing blow. Rin's spider thin webs of spell power used finesse and strategy to redirect or counter Sakura's more powerful spells into harmless effects.

Rin began setting a trap, lashing out three times in quick succession with prana spikes and then charged a fourth, changing the spell at the last instant to a mana trap that would absorb and redirect any spell caught in it. Sakura almost fell for the ploy, attacking from the side that Rin had deliberately left exposed. She saw her mistake just in time to stop herself and Rin cursed under her breath as Sakura instead blocked her own bolt of energy, sending it spattering harmlessly against the walls. One of the benches it struck exploded like a grenade. The other turned into a confused looking tortise.

With their magical duel warping the reality around them Rin had no concentration to spare to see how Shirou was doing against Archer, altho she knew that he didn't have a chance against a fully fledged Servant. She also knew that every second they spent fighting was one more second sapped from Shirou's life.

"Stop!" She said through gritted teeth, directing a blast of freezing air into a beam of searing fire that Sakura had tried to summon where she was standing.

"You're being manipulated! I know you don't have to do this!" She said.

Sakura's eyes narrowed. Her features had darkened, tendrils of black corruption creeping along her skin like a cancer consuming her. At Rin's words the corruption surged and Sakura's eyes flashed with red fire.

"You know? You know!? You don't know anything about me! YOU LEFT ME IN HELL!" She shrieked, a wave of power so intense it blurred Rin's vision sweeping over her.

Dropping all pretense of strategy she channeled all of her energy into a blast of fiery wrath, cocooning it in so much prana that Rin could sooner have redirected a freight train. Quickly Rin sought about for something, anything that would save her. There was nothing.

The split second after the blast would have hit her Rin wasn't dead, much to her astonishment. She opened her eyes to see what could have saved her and instantly regretted it. Standing between her and Sakura was a golden cloaked figure that she recognized as Rider. Only his impervious Golden Fleece could have saved her. But why?

Her question was answered by an idle tisking sound that came from behind Sakura. Rider's portly master stood there leaning against the rubble, inspecting his fingernails.

"What!" Sakura raged, gathering herself for another magical assault.

"Who are you? How dare you stay my vengeance!" She shouted in his face.

She accompanied her words with a blast of eldritch energies but Rider was faster, dashing forward to almost casually shield his master from the attack. Rin's eyes darted away from the conflict in front of her, searching desperately for Shirou. Fortunately he wasn't far away, locked in battle with Archer. The small skirmish broke up immediately as Archer quickly moved to Sakura's side, standing between her and Rider. Shirou was bleeding from a half dozen wounds but still on his feet.

The three parties stood facing each other down in the ruins of the church. Rider and his master, Sakura and Archer, and Rin moving quickly to support Shirou.

"Goodness, where are my manners?" The interloper said, bowing deeply.

"My name is Emil Lemieux. Don't worry. You won't have heard of me. I keep a low profile. A little birdie told me that Omega item that's all the rage was here. And lo and behold! I find a slinking rival to kill as well!" He said cheerfully.

Sakura bristled.

"Over my corpse!" She spat. "The Weapon is the Matou family's by right. And her...she is mine!" She said, pointing an accusatory finger towards Rin.

As if on command Archer dashed towards her but Rider blocked his charge.

"Ah, you great mage families. So arrogant. You don't know just how out matched you are, do you? Rider can..." Emil began boastfully.

Rin was distracted as Shirou whispered in her ear.

"_Pssst! Not that this isn't fascinating, but they both seem pretty distracted and I'd rather not stick around to watch." _He whispered.

"_Let's make a break for it. On three. Uuuuh, _THREE!" He shouted, seizing Rin's hand and dashing towards the car.

"Oh no you don't!" Emil bellowed.

Rider gave chase but Archer was on his heels just as fast, his flashing tomahawks racing towards his weak points. Rider was forced to turn and defend himself and the split second pause gave Rin and Shirou enough time to make it to the vehicle.

"You arrogant little bitch! Now they're escaping!" Emil raged.

Sakura responded with a bolt of magical fire.

The argument behind them devolved into a full fledged mage and servant's battle but, thankfully, Rin wasn't in a position to see it. Shirou gunned the engine and peeled out as he roared around the corner and out of sight. Rin's hands were shaking but she forced them to steady, instead focusing her attention on Shirou. They drove for long minutes until they were both confident that they weren't being followed.

"I think you have some explaining to do." She said.

Shirou gave her a long look, glancing at the road to maintain their break neck pace.

"Yes." He said. "I suppose I do."


	25. Chapter 24

The car pulled to a stop and Rin got out as quickly as she could, slamming the door and whirling on Shirou. He had taken them back to the abandoned apartment complex where he had laid out the complex wire trap. The drive had been agonizing, neither of them speaking as tension stretched between them until it felt like something was going to snap and spark an explosion.

"Now you are going to tell me everything." Rin said, trying and failing to keep the anger out of her voice as she advanced on Shirou.

"Who was that? What was he talking about, calling you Omega? Is your name really Shirou? What are you? An evil twin? A robot? A time traveler? Some sort of…of…" Rin said angrily.

"A clone." He said, cutting off her impassioned rant.

Rin gave him a flat look.

"Is that really any more farfetched than anything else you just suggested?" He said.

Rin had to concede the point.

"Although I suppose evil twin is accurate too. You know, twins are technically naturally occurring clo…" Shirou began in a rambling tone.

"Don't deflect." Rin warned.

Shirou looked as sheepish as he could given the grave circumstances and resumed his tale.

"The story starts with Kotomine." He said.

"He was a Master in the last Grail War, one of the foremost contenders. He was arch enemies with a man named Emiya Kiritsugu, another master. The next bit you know already. Kotomine was selected to head up Project Omega but he betrayed the church and the mages and set up shop for himself. He used all the resources that they provided him with for his own projects but make it look like he was still their man, still doing their bidding."

"And the project was…" Rin said cautiously.

"You guessed it. Me." Shirou replied. "Me and my…well, brothers isn't really the right word. Me and the others are all clones of the original Shirou, a small child that Kotomine got his hands on somehow right after the fourth war. He was his first ever test subject, his first guinea pig.

"Well, maybe clone isn't the right word either. I am, as Kotomine always put it, 'A marriage of magic and science, a wonder of biology and wizardry'. I suppose that puts me somewhere between a clone and a homunculus. The way I understand it, and bear in mind I'm no scientist, I'm some kind of hybrid between the original Shirou's DNA and a magical power source that Kotomine gained in the war. I've never seen it but he codenamed it A or Alpha."

Shirou barked a bitter laugh.

"It has a sick sense of poetry, doesn't it? Alpha and Omega?"

Rin reached out a hand towards him but he pulled away.

"So he kept you there? In his laboratory with the other subjects? Until Emiya rescued you." Rin said.

"No." Shirou said, his voice heavy with hatred. He turned his face away.

"I was…the test subjects that we kidnapped…oh god. Rin, the things we did to those people were horrific. Unforgivable. I killed people. Executed fathers. Forced mothers to…Dragged them screaming from the arms of their families to be tortured and experimented on. I silenced Kotomine's rivals. Defended him from the mages and the church alike. Did whatever unspeakable thing he ordered me to."

"No. But Emiya…" Rin said, her eyes widened in horror as Shirou continued.

"Emiya discovered one of Kotomine's laboratories. Broke in. Freed as many people as he could. Laid waste to the experiments and research that was going on there. I was Kotomine's top enforcer. His right hand. So he dispatched me to hunt down Emiya and kill him." Shirou said.

He spoke grimly, carrying on with his awful tale despite the toll it was taking on him. He seemed like a man rolling a boulder up a mountain, struggling against a weight he couldn't hope to master without any sign of stopping or giving up.

"I hunted him for years. He was impossible to follow, his movements didn't have any kind of pattern. He did things that made no sense to me. Helped people even when it exposed his position. Gave up tactical advantages to let civilians escape. I just couldn't understand it. What was his game? What was his end goal? But the more I followed him, the more I hunted him, the more I came to know him.

"He was the first person I'd ever know who was, well, maybe not happy. But content. He knew who he was and what he wanted out of life. He was the first person I'd ever known whose life wasn't about hatred, or pain, or manipulation. He had this serenity about him, this…I don't know what. But I hadn't ever known anyone like him. And slowly, slowly, as I learned more about him, I began to wish that I could be a man like that.

"But I still didn't understand him. I still didn't see how he could possibly be the way he was. I didn't understand until the very end. And as he lay there, dying, I finally spoke with him. I asked him every question that had tormented me throughout our long chase. His answer shattered me to my core, pierced every layer of armor that I had built up. It was so simple and yet I didn't understand it until my makeshift mentor whispered it with his dying breath."

Shirous words were so full of bitter regret and self loathing that Rin felt like her heart would break. He was so damaged, so broken. And yet even so he had taken Emiya's words to heart. Had changed his entire life to revolve around them.

"Be good." Rin breathed, remembering their conversation from the night before.

Shirou turned back to her and nodded, his eyes as grim as steel.

"I'm still not really sure what it means to be a human. Let alone a good one. But there is one thing that I'm absolutely sure of. Kotomine has to be stopped. And I'll spend every minute of life that I have left to stop him. To make up for everything I did in his name." He said.

Rin was awash with conflicting feelings. The past that Shirou revealed was horrifying, almost nightmarish. But Rin _knew_ Shirou. She knew that he was a good person. After all, hadn't she told Berserker that who you chose to be now is more important than who you were in the past? But there wasn't just Shirou's dark past and his struggle to over come it. There was also the fact that he had lied to her about it. He hadn't once been honest with her since she had met him.

As it so often happened with Rin, and so often to her detriment, her anger won out.

She whirled on Shirou and marched up to him, her fury coloring her cheeks as she confronted him.

"So you're a genetically engineered magical super soldier cooked up in a laboratory by the very person that I need answers from, and you never thought that little fact was worth mentioning? You lied to me, Shirou! You lied to my face, over and over, from the first moment that I met you!" Rin said accusatorily.

Even though her words rang true Rin regretted them. The traumatic retelling and the sudden revelations had left both of them emotionally distressed, vulnerable, and fragile. What Shirou need most right at that moment was compassion and understanding. What Rin needed most was trust and strength. He needed someone to forgive him, or to teach him to forgive himself. Rin needed someone she could count on, someone who would simply be there for her. But her wounded pride got the better of her and instead she lashed out at him.

Her words struck him like a blow. His eyes dropped and he seemed to retreat back into himself.

"I…just wanted you to know." His words were wooden, automatic.

Rin bit her lower lip.

"I just don't know how I can trust you. How can I trust you?" She asked, her voice filled with tremulous uncertainty.

The question wasn't rhetorical. She desperately wanted Shirou to defend himself. To say something, anything, that would make the awful feeling in the pit of her stomach go away. To tell her that everything would be alright.

Instead he took a step back, his shoulders slumped.

"I see." He said hollowly. "For what it's worth it's the truth. It's everything I know. But I…I understand."

Shirou turned away from Rin and began walking back to the car. Rin felt a hollow place forming in the pit of her stomach. She didn't want to leave things like this between them. But what could she say? She had wasted her chance to be understanding, to be forgiving. Why? She cursed her pride as she followed a couple of steps behind Shirou.

To Rin's surprise when he reached into his pocket for the keys he didn't open the car door. Instead he set them on the hood and then continued walking. His steps were heavy. His proud back bowed. Rin's head snapped up in alarm.

"Wait! Where do you think you're going?" She demanded.

"I'm just…going." He said in that same hollow voice.

Rin was taken aback but her fiery nature quickly reasserted itself. She waded forward and planted herself in front of Shirou, hands on her hips. He didn't look at her.

"We're a team, remember? You are _not _just going to walk out on me." She said fiercely.

"You're better off without me. I'm nothing more than a malfunctioning tool." He answered bitterly.

"Oh, quit that. You are you. I _know_ you, Shirou. You are a good person. I've seen it over and over again."

Shirou snorted.

"A good person? I'm a beast covered with the veneer of civilization. I'm every bit the monster I ever was." He said, his bitterness and self loathing tainting his voice into a husky growl.

"Don't let Sigma's lies…"

"No, you don't understand." Shirou cut Rin off.

"The things I've done, the evil…you don't need me. I'm just an animal. Like a caged wolf suddenly set free. Someone who could never…"

It was Rin's turn to interrupt. A crack echoed across the lawn like a gunshot as she hauled back and smacked Shirou across the face as hard as she could. His eyes shot wide but Rin gave him no chance to speak.

"Oh, would you CUT THAT OUT! Oh, woe is me. I did some bad stuff when I was a kid. GET OVER IT! You sound like a whiny fourteen year old. What's next, bad poetry and black jeans?" She ranted.

Shirou stumbled backwards as Rin stalked forwards, shouting up into his shocked face and thumping her pointer finger in the middle of his chest to emphasize her words.

"You are NOT a bad person. Not any more, no matter what you were in the past. Trust me. And we ARE a team, whether you like it or not! And who says that I need you anyway! Well, I do, and don't you forget it. But don't forget that YOU need ME just as much! More even! I'm the one that knows how to find Kotomine!

"So here is what's going to happen. You are going to un-wad your panties, cowboy up, and quit this mopey emo bullshit. You've been through some trauma. I understand that. I will help you with it however I can. You and I are a team but you lied to me. I have some trust issues. You need to understand that. But that doesn't change anything."

Rin finished her tirade panting and staring angrily up into Shirou's surprised face. His cheek was red and puffy where Rin had slapped him, his brown eyes were wide in surprise. Rin waited for him to say something. To turn and walk away. But instead, almost involuntarily, his features split into a grin.

He suddenly swooped forwards, sweeping Rin up in a bear hug that pinned her arms to her sides. He laughed and spun them about, eventually setting her back on her feet and wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. Whether a tear of laughter or of something else Rin couldn't tell.

"You always know just what to say, don't you." He laughed.

He stepped forwards and took Rin's hand, holding it up between them.

"I like you, Rin. I mean I really like you and I…wait." Shirou began but interrupted himself as a sudden thought occurred to him. "What did you say about Kotomine? You know how to find him?"

Rin found that her heart was suddenly beating very fast.

"K-Kotomine? Oh! Do you remember what Sigma said in the church? He called in the other Masters to attack us in order to cover his escape. It was only the mistake of sending two when one would have done that let us get away." She said.

Shirou quirked an eyebrow.

"But what does that have to do with finding Kotomine?" He asked.

"Think about it. It means that Kotomine is in contact with the other masters. One of them may have a way to get in touch with him, and that means we can track him down."

"Right, but we don't know where the other masters are any more than we know where…Oh!"

"Magnus!" He and Rin said in unison.

Shirou took off at an excited jog for a dilapidated pay phone near where he had set up his elaborate wire trap.

"What, um, what were you saying?" Rin asked hopefully, trailing after him.

But Shirou was already dialing.

"Oh, heya Melva. Put Ilya on the phone, would ya?" He said.

"Ilya! Ilya? Are you okay? No, nothing, you just sounded a little…okay. Yeah, no problem. Yes she's here." He said glancing at Rin.

"Listen, we need you here right away, and bring Caster. We've got a chance to fight Lancer. Yeah. Yeah, here's the address." He said, giving Ilya directions to the wire trap.

"Okay. See you soon."

Shirou hung up and then turned to Rin.

"You ready?" He asked, holding the receiver out to her. Rin nodded.

"Arright. Find some way to lure Magnus here. We'll jump him and take out Lancer when he arrives. Then he can tell us how to get to Kotomine."

Rin nodded grimly and began to dial.


	26. Chapter 25

Rin paced nervously, every so often glancing over at Shirou and the odd shuffling, ducking, and stretching dance he was doing. He was practicing moving fluidly through the maze of trip wires strung like an invisible steel spider web in the area all around the abandoned apartment building. He ducked under and around them, leaped over them with gangly stretches, and generally looked foolish as he cavorted around memorizing where they all were and plotting out routes to quickly move through them.

As ridiculous as he looked Rin knew that the practice served a deadly purpose. Alone Shirou couldn't hope to compete with the speed and power of a fully fledged Servant, not even with his admittedly impressive self fortification magic. Especially not against Lancer, whose primary attribute was her blinding speed. But with the trapped field of wires and with an allied Servant in the fight his chances climbed dramatically. The close quarters and nearly invisible field of booby traps would transform Lancer's magnificent speed in to ta crippling liability. Rin wasn't sure what Caster's combat acumen was but between the Caster, Shirou, and the trap field Rin thought they stood a pretty good chance against Lancer. At least, she hopped they did.

Her thoughts were interrupted at the sound of a motor and she looked up as Caster and Ilya pulled in. Shirou jogged over and waved them around to the back of the building where they planned to hide the car. When Magnus and Lancer arrived all they would see would be the Bentley and hopefully they would assume that Rin was alone. As they came back across the lawn Shirou was having an animate conversation with Caster about the upcoming battle.

"..th of you already know what I can do. I'm pretty scrappy, I can take one on the jaw and not go gown. But if we're thinkin' tactics we gotta make some plans. Your gimmick is time controlling magic, right? Can you just, I dunno, freeze 'er in place while we bag Magnus or something? Because that would be superb. If we can get this done without a fight that'd be great. I, er, I dunno how comfortable I am hittin' a girl."

Rin rolled her eyes. Shirou's ridiculous sense of honor would probably get him killed if she wasn't around to save his neck.

"Alas, such a feat is beyond even me." Caster said. "I tried something similar on myself and it took every ounce of mana I had and every bit I could stockpile and convert. Add to _that _the fact that the ritual took twelve hours and had to be performed directly atop a leyline and you can see how it doesn't have much practical application in combat. With the power I have available I could only stop her for a fraction of a second." The white haired Servant said in his erudite and academic sounding drawl.

"Well, help me out here. I'm gonna be right in the tussle mixin' it up with Lancer. What can you do to help?" Shirou asked.

"I may not be able to freeze her in time but I can affect the way she moves through it. If I slow her passage through time while speeding yours up it will serve to level the playing field. A haste spell is relatively easy to maintain, as is a slow spell. I can also put some fortification magic into your traps here to prevent her from simply bull rushing through them. A very clever tactic, if I might add."

"Awww shucks, you're making me blush." Shirou said jokingly, his grin as wide as ever as they drew up alongside Rin.

Rin nodded to them but Ilya avoided her gaze, rubbing her arm as if she were bashful and staring at her navel. She was obviously still upset from the other night. Rin sensed that something was very wrong. A tension seemed to stretch between the two friends that made the situation palpably uncomfortable. Caster had the tact not to say anything and the socially oblivious Shirou didn't notice anything at all, so Rin was left suspended in a field of guilty tension with Ilya.

_I'll have to have a long talk with her when this is over. Explain what happened and try to patch things up._ She thought. But the tactical conversation going on overrode her awkwardness around Ilya and she chimed in.

"Are you sure that's wise?" She said cautiously.

"We all know about Shirou's powers. What will happen if he calls on them while he's being accelerated through time? Will that drain your...your lifespan even faster?" She said, almost blushing. She liked him so much that just thinking about his dramatically shortened lifespan and the toll it cost to use his powers frightened her.

Shirou just shrugged and was about to say something flippant when Caster interrupted him.

"Eh, life's too..."

"Actually I had thought about that." Caster cut in. "If I accelerate Shirou's physical form only instead of applying the magical _concept_ of speed to his entire person it shouldn't be any more draining than normal. Of course, it will mean that your physical speed is increased but your reflexes and reaction times won't be. You'll need to be careful not to overshoot when you jump or run for the duration of the spell."

"Awww, heck. Hit me with the juice. Can't go skipping out on tactical advantages just 'cause it might be dangerous, right?" Shirou said jovially.

He yelped as Rin trod on his foot and glared up at him.

"_You _might not care if you live or die but...s-s-some of us do!" She said, her ferocity faltering for a moment and then returning with full force. Ilya nodded halfhearted agreement and Rin was surprised that she hadn't thrown her arms around Shriou's neck and burred her head in his muscular chest. Something big was definitely bothering her.

"I can also project fields of physical force to slow and hinder, as well as..." Caster trailed off and narrowed his eyes.

"They're here." He said flatly.

A moment later Rin felt it too, a spike in Grail energy that could only mean a rapidly approaching Servant.

"Quick, you two gotta hide." Shirou said, hustling Ilya and Caster to their ambush positions in the building.

He and Rin quickly took up their agreed upon spots. She leaned up against the side of the abandoned apartment and Shirou lay at her feet, sprawled awkwardly face down and feigning unconsciousness. There was a narrow open space free of wires and traps leading from the road to where Rin stood. Everything depended on Magnus and Lancer approaching to within the perimeter of the traps without noticing them. If they saw the wires before they were close enough to be hampered in a fight a major part of Team Rin's advantage would disappear.

Magnus's expensive cream white town car purred around the corner and approached smoothly, pulling to a halt at the edge of the unkempt lawn. A chauffeur in a black uniform stepped out to open the door and Rin was suddenly reminded of the day she had met Shirou. The dark circumstances were brought back to bear as first Lancer then Magnus stepped out. They were both immaculately dressed in expensive designer suits. Lancer's silhouetted her toned form, her regal bearing. It flowed along the lines of her figure and made her look like a hero shrouded in silk, ready to rip away the veneer of civilization at an instant's notice and spring into action. Magnus wore his with the disdain of long affluence and the drooping creases of a lazy man.

"Drive around the block Hector, but don't go anywhere. This won't take long." Magnus said smugly, waving off his driver with a dismissive gesture.

He sauntered up lazily with Lancer trailing a few steps behind him, a triumphant grin on his haughty features.

"So you've considered my deal at last have you, pet?" He said as he advanced with a grin like a cat who had stolen cream and gotten away with it.

"I don't know though. What good are you to me now, I wonder? Your servant has been defeated and now you're bargaining your last chip in a last, desperate effort for...what, exactly? Oh, don't look so surprised. The Barthomeloi spy network is second to none. I know all about your Berserker sacrificing himself to beat Saber. The fool. And thanks to our mutual friend Kotomine I know all about the Omega weapon too." He said, lazily examining his fingernails and pointing at Shirou's prone form with his chin.

"You're willing to bargain it to me now that your Servant is defeated. Pathetic. Maybe I'll keep you as a play thing. Until I tire of you, that is." He said, eyeing Rin salaciously.

Rin gritted her teeth in an effort not to send razor sharp ice shard down the smug idiot's throat. At least his overconfidence was playing in Rin's favor. He had wandered right into the trap. She was just about to launch a fiery retort when Shirou rolled over and sat up.

"Jeez louise. You weren't kiddin', Rin. I can't decide if this guy is a bigger idiot or a bigger pervert." He said, pushing himself up to his feet with a fierce grin.

"What!" Magnus shrieked, leaping back.

"I don't know what you hopped to accomplish. Lancer! Kill them!" He commanded shrilly.

There was a torrent of grail energy as Lancer transformed, her shredded suit fluttering to the ground around her. She stood there for an instant like a paragon of old, her burnished breastplate and helm glittering in the afternoon sun while her spear flashed fire. And then she charged forwards and battle was joined.

From behind her Rin heard a door slam open as Caster leaped into the open and Magnus's eyes bugged with panic. There was a second cascade of energy as he transformed into his robed original appearance. Rin felt the hairs on her neck begin to tinge as he channeled one of the most powerful spells she had ever witnessed, focusing it on Lancer. Reality seemed to sink inwards, drawing in as time itself constricted in around the servant, jolting her from its flow and slowing her every movement.

The discarded pieces of Lancer's suit fluttered to the ground in slow motion, almost frozen in the air. But the Servant herself merely snorted and readied her spear. When she moved it was with the grace of a viper and the speed of a lightning bolt. The slowing spell only hampered her to the point that Rin could follow her movements with her naked eye. Barely. It was better than nothing but Lancer was simply too fast to stop entirely.

At the same time a nearly identical but subtly different field enveloped Shirou. Time around him dilated and pulsated as his movements became swift, almost erratic. He seemed to vibrate with every movement, darting here and there across the battlefield like a humming bird. The fact that Caster was able to generate such a spell spoke of powers over the fabric of reality that bordered on true sorcery. The fact that he could maintain two such spells at once elevated Rin's respect for the servant to astronomical levels.

But even with Lancer slowed, even with Shirou's haste, Lancer was far, far faster that he could ever hope to be. The only things preventing her from dashing forward and slaughtering them all outright was Shirou's trap which hampered her movements and the fact that he had a single central point to defend while she had to circle around through the trip wires looking for an opening. She had to cover twice the ground that he did through the traps and tricks to seek an opening. If she could manage to get to Caster everything would be over. His time controlling magic was all that was keeping her in check.

But Rin had no time to devote to the intricacies of the battle unfolding in front of her. As Lancer launched into her attacks Magnus turned his cowardly tail and began to flee as fast as he could. Rin bolted after him, leaping over one trip wire and ducking under another before lashing out with a wave of force to ensnare his feet.

Magnus felt the spell but wasn't able to react in time and the trip sent him sprawling head over heels. He scrambled to his knees and sent a bolt of magical fire in Rin's direction that she easily deflected with a hastily woven shield spell.

Her mages duel against Sakura had been a life or death affair. Sakura was as cunning as she was powerful, and even more determined to kill Rin. Magnus, on the other hand, was like a child trying to fend off a hungry predator. He was as powerful as Rin but he wasn't nearly as creative. He was slow. Predictable. Like so many other bullies he didn't know anything beyond brute force. He lashed out again and again with flame spells that Rin countered as soon as the prana formed in his hands. He tried to cut off her prana supplies but Rin was already prepared with a mana trap that he fell into blindly. The spell became an uncontrollable torrent that sapped nearly half his mana before he managed to counter the flow. As he became more desperate his moves became more and more erratic, and easier and easier for Rin to counter.

Magnus frantically backpedaled and Rin bore down on him, casually deflecting his attacks as she tried to get a hit in that would disable him but not kill him. Eventually she settled on a risky idea. It wasn't anything that would work against a half competent mage, and probably not even against Magnus were he in his right mind. But with his panic and with all the mistakes that he was making Rin saw her chance. She quickly conjured a mana tap tuned for shielding spells but didn't bother to mask her casting, then sent an icy bolt ripping towards Magnus. He saw the obvious trap that she had set and, instead of pulling up a shield that would be purged by her mana tap, reached out with a counter spell of his own to fizzle the ice bolt in the air.

"Ha!" Rin cried triumphantly.

A pure mana spell like a counter spell left the caster temporarily vulnerable to direct magic attacks and Rin pounced on the opening. She sent a whip thin lash of pure mana to tangle with Magnus's flows and then poured a torrent of magical energy, drawing from her gems and from her own reserves as she overloaded Magnus's mana capacity. It was a tactic that would only work against a vastly weaker opponent and it left the caster vulnerable to backlash. But Rin's gamble paid off. Magnus screamed as his magic circuits began overloading and rupturing from the reverse torrent of energy ripping through. It wasn't possible to burn out someone's spell casting ability entirely but Magnus's magical abilities would be severely hampered, possibly for the rest of his life.

"No!" He cried, dropping to his knees, his eyes wide with shock.

Rin sprinted up to him and seized him by his expensive lapels, dragging him up face to face.

"Call off your Servant. This is over. You're going to tell us everth..." She began but Magnus wasn't listening.

His eyes darted left and right, a bewildered look of shock and panic plastered on his face. He had no retort. No witty rejoinder. He had only one option open to him.

"Lancer! Kill her! Kill her!" He shrieked over Rin's shoulder.

Rin dropped Magnus and whirled. There was a spike of grail energy from behind her and Rin realized with a sinking feeling that whatever attack was coming would be fueled by the full power of a command seal. From within the wire trap Rin could see that things were going well for her compatriots. Between the magically strengthened piano wire and Caster's time control magic Lancer couldn't maneuver past Shirou's defenses to attack Caster or Ilya.

It was a sound battle plan and they would have been able to hold her at bay indefinitely. But the rules of engagement had just changed.

There was a deep splintering noise and Caster cried out from the backlash as Lancer roared out a powerful challenge and shattered his slowing spell on her. She dashed forwards and the wires that had crippled her movements just seconds ago snapped in her path like cobwebs. Even with his enhanced speed Shirou couldn't hope to catch her. Lancer stopped just outside of the trap and readied her harpoon like spear. It glowed with an unearthly blue tint and all Rin could do was throw up a hasty shield before Lancer's arm shot forward.

"No!" Shirou and Ilya cried in unison.

Rin could only watch as the weapon thundered towards her heart. It passed through her shield like there was nothing there and she couldn't help but stare in horrified fascination as it pierced her body. She expected a jolt of pain, to be knocked from her feet, to be instantly obliterated. None of that happened. There was no blood. There wasn't even any pain. And yet Rin could see the glowing spear lodged in her breastbone, impaling her completely.

_What ?_ She thought. _Why am I not dead?_

Rin was a creature of curiosity and almost reflexively she pulled up her grail vision to see exactly what Lancer had done to her. What she saw was not encouraging.

NOBLE PHANTASM: Marathon

TYPE: Anti-Unit

DESCRIPTION: The Lancer pierces her target with a spectral harpoon that does no physical damage but snares the target's soul. The Lancer then runs at top speed for a distance of 24.8 miles, dragging the target behind her. The target is free to act during this period and if they can keep pace with Lancer the attack ends after 24.8 miles have been traveled. If the physical body cannot keep up it is left behind and the soul is pulled from it, killing the target.

_Ah._ Rin thought. She felt oddly calm. So her killer was Pheidippides, the soldier who had run from Marathon to Athens and collapsed in death after delivering his message. Or Pheidippida, as it turned out.

Perhaps it was shock, perhaps it was acceptance, but the prospect of her impending death didn't seem to phase Rin at all. She felt numb, like the world was shut away from her behind a pane of ice. Her life didn't pass before her eyes. She wasn't haunted by visions of a future that she would never have. She didn't desperately cast about for some way to save herself. There was simply no way out. She couldn't hope to keep up with Lancer for five seconds, let alone 20 miles.

But then a thought struck Rin. She had seconds to live and her thoughts were dwelling on her friends. Her father. Ilya. Shirou. And suddenly it occurred to her that no matter how hopeless the situation, no matter what the odds were against him, Shirou would _never_ give up. Rin wanted that. She wanted to be a person like that.

And so, her eyes steely, with Lancer turning to break into full sprint, Rin got ready to RUN. Knowing that she would fail. Knowing that she would die. But she prepared herself to run for her life anyway.

Half a heartbeat had passed.

And just as Lancer readied herself to drag Rin to her death Ilya's voice rang out, high pitched and pure.

"Caster! Freeze her!" She pleaded. Rin knew it wasn't any use. Caster could only stop Lancer for a fraction of a second. He could only delay the inevitable, and only by a very short margin.

But even as she steeled her self for her coming death Caster flung out a hand. What happened next was too fast for Rin to follow. Lancer was briefly enclosed in a field of prana, Caster completed his spell, and then with a whoosh Lancer was consumed in a pillar of fire.

Rin blinked.

Lancer was gone without a trace, in her place was a curving arc of flame that reached up into the sky.

"Wha..." Rin gaped. She looked down at her chest. The spectral spear that had pierced her was gone.

She glanced over at Caster who looked as bewildered as she felt. Then sudden realization dawned on his face and he burst out laughing.

"How unexpected." He said.

"A fire spell? Not that I'm not grateful but that seems a bit out of your area of expertise." Rin said.

"I did just what Ilya asked. I froze her in place. The fire must have been caused by friction as she left the atmosphere." Caster said jovially, the sudden tension dissipating into relief.

"Left the atmosphere? What are you talking about?" Rin asked.

"Think about it. I froze her in place. _She _was stationary. _We, _on the other hand, are on the surface of a planet that is rotating at thousands of miles per hour, orbiting the sun at millions of miles per hour, the sun is orbiting galactic central point at billions of miles per hour, and the galaxy is moving god knows where at god knows how fast. We simply...left her behind." He chuckled.

As the true magnitude of Caster's power began to dawn on Rin the enormity of what had just happened hit her like a brick. The whole thing had only taken a couple of seconds but Rin had almost died. She had almost _died_. Suddenly her hands were shaking and she hugged herself to keep the tremors from sweeping through the rest of her body. She might have collapsed if Shirou hadn't reached her just then, sweeping her up in his strong arms and hugging her against him fiercely.

"You had me scared for a minute there. Guess I owe Caster big time." He said, holding her up as she calmed down.

They didn't have any time to cool down though. Over Shirou's shoulder Rin could see Magnus crawling away.

"Oh no, you don't!" She said.

She marched over to him and grabbed him by the back of his collar, jerking him around and throwing him down on his back. He gulped as Shirou and Rin leaned over him menacingly.

"P-p-please don't kill me. I'll do anything!" He blubbered, holding his hands up defensively and trying to worm his way into the ground beneath him.

"Jeez. What is it with you people? We aren't gonna kill ya. But you _are_ going to tell us where Kotomine is." Shirou said harshly.

Rin rolled her eyes. Telling Magnus that they wouldn't hurt him wasn't exactly the best way to get him to talk. Still, it didn't seem to matter. In moments Magnus was falling over himself to sell out Kotomine.

"Th-there's a safehouse. It's at number 6 Revelacion Manara. Apartment 8. I met him there twice but I don't think he stays there. He keeps himself surrounded by body guards. They wear masks and they rotate shifts so I don't know how many there are. That's all I know, I swear!" He gushed.

Shirou and Rin gave each other long looks at the mention of masked body guards but said nothing. Magnus was beside himself with terror. Shirou leaned in close, one eye lidded suspiciously. Magnus's heavy breathing was all that could be heard

"Fine. Get out of here." He said at last.

"But if you _ever_ lay a hand on Rin, heck, if I ever hear you coming within a hundred yards of her, I will hunt you down and give you such a beating that you'll...well, I'll beat on you. Severely. Now go." He said, sending Magnus scampering for the road.

They both watched his retreating back until it disappeared, still wary for treachery. When he was gone Shirou worked his shoulder around and stretched out his neck.

"Phew, you had me scared for a minute there. If Caster and Ilya hadn't 'a been...Ilya? What's wrong?" He said, his tone dipping into concern as he turned.

Rin followed his vision and saw Ilya standing in the wiry remains of the trap. Her lip was trembling and her eyes brimmed with tears. Whatever it was that had been bothering her had come to a head and Rin was suddenly wracked with guilt that she hadn't been paying attention to her friend.

"Ilya? What's wrong!" She asked, concern heavy in her voice as she moved forwards.

Rin barely had time to react as Ilya lashed out. A razored blade of wind sliced through the air, halting Rin in her tracks and digging a furrow into the earth. The blow cut Rin's movement short and sent her stumbling back a step. If Ilya had been aiming for her she could have sliced her in half as neatly as a sushi chef slicing salmon.

"Stop! Don't come any closer!" She sobbed, her body coursing with power. One hand was raised to send another razor wind spell slicing into Rin if she so much as moved.

Caster, who had pulled himself to his feet and dusted off his robes, moved to stand at Ilya's shoulder.

"Now, master?" He asked quietly. His tone was subdued. Regretful. But Rin still sensed killing magic rising in his form.

"Y-yes. No! I...I don't know. I can't!" Ilya cried.

"Ilya! What's going on?" Rin asked, trying to keep the alarm out of her voice. Her head reeled. Just when they had a lead to finally find Kotomine they were betrayed by Ilya. Why? She raised her hands cautiously, showing Ilya that she meant no harm.

Tears rolled down Ilya's porcelain cheeks and she fumbled in her pocket for something. She hiccuped in a most unladylike way and flung it to the ground in front of her. Rin cautiously inched forwards to retrieve it. Her eyes widened. It was the letter that had been delivered to Ilya the previous day. With trembling fingers Rin's fingers dipped into the tear at the top of the envelope to pull out a single thin sheet of paper.

_Ilya,_

_Your progress in the war has been most heartening. I see that an opportunity has presented itself and your orders have changed. Without her Servant the Tohsaka girl is of no further use to you or to us. This is the perfect opportunity to rid ourselves of the heir of a rival house while blaming it on the War. Kill her. _

It was short and direct, signed in flowering script by the head of the Von Einzbern family. Rin let the pages slip from her fingers. So Ilya had been ordered to kill her. That was why she had been so distraught.

_How blind I was! _Rin thought.

"Ilya, you don't have to do this." She said, carefully keeping her voice neutral. She took another step forward.

"Stay back!" Ilya said in alarm, sending another blade of air slashing at Rin's feet. Her voice was filled with fear, not of Rin, but of what it would mean if they confronted each other.

"Just say the word, Master." Caster said. He had his hand raised in Rin's direction and she could sense energy pulsing through him.

"No. Wait. Just wait. I...I can't." Ilya said.

Rin took a hopeful step forward but Ilya held up a warning hand.

"I won't fight you. But I can't...I...Just get out of here." She said.

Rin was about to speak when she felt Shirou's cautious but insistent hand on her shoulder.

"I think we should do as she says." He said softly.

Ilya looked up sharply, a look of hopelessness filling her eyes as tears rolled out of them.

"You too? You have the information you need. You don't need Rin any more. I...I thought that you could stay with me. We could be..." She began. Her words were already trailing off in uncertainty but Shirou gently interrupted her.

"You're wrong. I do need Rin." He said.

Rin looked at him with wide eyes but for once his face was unreadable.

Ilya stood with her head bowed for a long moment, her hair falling in front of her eyes. Then he head snapped up and she was filled with tiny scorned fury.

"Fine then! Get out of here! Both of you! Go. Go!" She screamed.

Shirou took Rin by the arm and quickly turned around, pulling her with him as he walked away. Rin's head was reeling. Lancer banished, Magnus crippled and ousted from the war. Caster and Ilya's betrayal. And Shirou had said that he needed her. It was the closest thing to a confession that she had ever heard from him. Her heart didn't know weather to soar or plummet and settled for doing little somersaults in her chest.


	27. Chapter 26

Rin stared morosely down into her cup of tea, ignoring the late afternoon hubbub of the small roadside diner. Across from her Shirou was watching her from over his rapidly cooling coffee with a look of concern heavy on his features. She idly twisted the cup back and forth on the fragile saucer while she tried to muddle her way through the situation she was in.

She had no Servant, no base of operations, no car, and a list of allies that was rapidly dwindling to just the goofy, loveable reformed killer sitting across from her. She had no plan, her role in the Grail War was essentially over, and the only thing keeping her in Valencia was her investigation into Project Omega. Even that wasn't a compelling reason to stay in the city. She already knew that the Tohsaka family's involvement had been minimal. Right now the most logical course of action was to return home and alert the Clocktower to Kotomine's activities. They'd launch a full scale investigation, perhaps getting the Church and their burial agents involved as well. She wouldn't have to do anything else. She would be safe.

But...

There was that goofy, loveable reformed killer. Rin knew that Shirou would never leave when he was so close to catching Kotomine. He'd never leave the task of capturing him up to the Mage's association. Was it worth it? To give up on her chance of escape? To risk everything just to stay by his side?

Of course it was.

_Well, that didn't take long to decide._ Rin thought ironically.

_Love can be awfully inconvenient sometimes._

She leaned heavily on her hand and looked across at Shirou for a long moment. Then she sat bolt upright when she realized what she had just thought. A look of shock crossed her face. Shirou caught her mood and began looking around covertly.

"What is it?" He asked urgently, glancing around. "Did you see something?"

Rin's eyes went wide and her mouth opened and closed soundlessly.

"I...I...I..." She stammered.

She was in love with him? How could that be? She barely knew him. He was a magical clone created in a laboratory. She was the heir to a vast and powerful family of mages. Everything he did made her angry or exasperated.

But for every mental protest that she threw up her heart of hears whispered into her ear ..._so?_

There was only one relevant question. Did she love him?

The answer came to her simply. She didn't have to rationalize it, or reason her way through it, or into it, or out of it. She just _knew_.

Yes.

Rin suddenly became aware that she was still staring at Shirou and she blushed, looking down. He reached across the table and took her hand.

"Are you alright? You look like you got hit by a truck." He said with concern. Rin's blush deepened and her pulse began to beat a staccato rhythm against her ribcage.

"Of course I'm alright!" Rin snapped, yanking her hand back in embarrassment. She wanted to slam her head into the table. Why did she always bite his head off when he was just trying to be nice? Shirou looked hurt and Rin quickly put her hands up in a placating gesture.

"I-I-I mean it was n-nothing and I was just thinking and t-t-thanks for asking but I'm o-o-okay." She said, suddenly bashful. Shirou gave her an unreadable look and then shrugged, his usual happy demeanor quickly returning. He pulled his hand off the table before Rin could reach out and take it again and she pouted internally just a little.

"Well, first thing's first. We need to get a safehouse set up. C'mon, life's too short to mope around." He said cheerfully, pushing himself up and making his way towards the door.

Rin jumped up and quickly followed him.

"Do you have to say that all the time?" She said sourly.

"What?" He asked, confused. "I think this is the first time I've ever suggested that we set up a safehouse."

"No, that thing about life being too short. I mean, I agree that there's rarely a good reason to waste time. I just...I just don't like being reminded of the price that you pay for your powers." She said bashfully.

Shirou fixed her with a rakish grin and stroked his chin exaggeratedly.

"Oh, concerned about me, are you?" He asked with a wink and a twinkle in his eye. They were walking side by side and he nudged her playfully.

Rin almost responded with an acid retort but recalled her resolution of just a few moments ago.

"Of course I'm concerned about you. You're my sidekick, after all." She joked, nudging him back.

He laughed.

"Great! I always wanted to be a superhero."

As they walked Rin gathered up her courage and then timidly slipped her arm into the crook of Shirou's elbow. He glanced down at her but didn't protest. Instead he flashed her a smile and hitched her arm up into his and so, arm in arm, they went down the street.

…

Rin was surprised at how thorough Shirou's idea of setting up a safehouse was. Then again she reminded herself that he'd been a covert operative hunting other covert operatives for most of his life.

He led them to several hotels across town from ritzy to rundown. He had Rin check into an expensive hotel in the downtown tourist area using her own name. Rin protested and insisted that they should stick together but Shirou just tapped his nose knowingly and told her to trust him. They went up to the room briefly and Shirou ordered takeout from a nearby restaurant, again using Rin's name. Before it arrived they left and headed to a smaller motel a couple of blocks away. He checked in under his Shane Rowe identity and Rin got an inkling of what he was up to.

"You're setting up decoys." She said.

He nodded.

"Anybody that's lookin' for us will check here first. All we need to do is keep an eye on these hotels and we'll know when they start gunnin' for us." He said.

They went to three more small hotels across the city where Shirou checked with a different identity each time, presumably IDs that Kotomine would be aware of and be on the lookout for. By the time the evening was falling they found themselves at an out of the way motel in the open air style. The rental office was up front and the rooms circled a small parking lot.

Shirou rented two rooms, one close to the entrance and the other farther back out of the way of the brightly lit central area. Rin insisted again that they should stick together and he nodded.

"If they do find us they'll hopefully check that room first. You can ward it, right? Magically? That'll give us a chance to get away if we get found out." He said.

They walked across the parking lot in the swiftly gathering dusk, the bored desk attendant ignoring what he assumed was yet another sordid love affair. If he were to guess why two attractive young people were sneaking out and renting a hotel room his last guess in the world would be 'hiding from an evil mage and his cadre of cloned assassins'.

Shirou opened the door to their decoy room and carefully explored it before motioning for Rin to join him. She quickly set herself to the task of erecting a series of magical wards around the door frame that would trigger and alert her if anyone other than she or Shirou passed through.

"You'd better make it just you, and don't complete it until I'm out." He said when she explained what she was doing.

"If anyone comes after us it's gonna be Sigma or one of the others. Who knows how the magic will react to someone else like me? If the ward is tuned to let me through one of Kotomine's other agents might not trigger it at all. Best to exclude me from the field, just to be safe." He said.

"Well, you need to get out then. I'm tying it off now." Rin said.

"One sec," He said.

He quickly drew the shades and switched the television set on then stepped outside.

"Okay, go for it."

Rin carefully terminated the spell and ran it through a couple of layers of obfuscation so that whoever tripped it wouldn't be able to detect it until too late. By the time she was finished Shirou was already investigating the second room he'd rented. He took a moment to satisfy himself that it was secure and then waved Rin inside.

She flopped down backwards on the bed with a whoosh of air and lay there with her arms spread, processing everything that had happened. The ceiling was an impersonal beige darkened by the inadequate lighting of the small room. It had the mass produced and impersonal feel that all hotel rooms do, their identical and generic decorations both deferential and imposing. You are welcome here, they seemed to say. But not for more than an evening. No matter how long you stayed in a hotel room you were always sleeping in a strange bed.

There was a nervous shuffling from the small kitchen area and Rin looked over to see Shirou leaned up against the door jamb. He was shifting from foot to foot, changing his position and generally looking uncomfortable.

"What is it?" Rin asked with a giggle at how nervous he looked.

"What is it?" She repeated in a serious tone, sitting up on the edge of the bed. He looked agitated, like there was something wrong. He looked like he was about to deliver some very bad news.

"Do...you wanna go get some dinner?" He said at last, nervously fiddling his fingers in front of him.

Rin quirked an eyebrow. _That _was what he was so nervous about asking?

"Sure. We can head out for supplies and get some food too." She said.

"No, I meant, er, do you want to go out to dinner? With me? Like, on a date?" He said nervously.

"Oh!" Rin said in a small voice as she finally caught on to what he was asking. A blush suffused across her face. But he was blushing too, so that was okay.

"Y-yes! I mean...I'd love to."

She screwed up her courage and bounced up, skipping across the room to plant a small peck on Shirou's cheek. He quickly turned the color of a beet, which made Rin laugh, which made Shirou laugh. The tension and nervousness quickly dissipated into happy mirth and Shirou fixed her with a familiar goofy grin.

"So where do you want to go?" Rin asked.

"Oh, I dunno. Somewhere fancy and romantic? With candles and chandeliers? Or do you want to go somewhere fun where we can play games and eat cheap hotdogs?"

Rin considered for a moment. Both were tempting.

"Part of the fun of going out to a fancy restaurant is dressing up, and all my things are still at...you know. At Ilya's house. Both sound fun but neither is very low key. Aren't we in hiding?" She said.

Shirou nodded thoughtfully, considering for a long moment.

"Hmmm, good point. I don't think I even own a necktie. Oh, I've got it!" He exclaimed. He grabbed Rin's hand and rushed out. The rushed pace wasn't something that was comfortable to maintain, however, and he dropped into a leisurely walk about halfway through the parking lot. Rin suspected that his sudden haste may have been a ploy to take her hand. Which was fine by her.

They strolled through the deepening dusk hand in hand and as they chatted about inconsequentialities. Rin was once again surprised at how easy Shirou was to talk to. Most of her experiences in her admittedly brief dating experience were awkward, short affairs. Most of the boys she knew were mages, and most mages found her as intimidating and powerful as she was beautiful. The result was a constant, awkward dance as they each tried to impress the other while not violating any political taboos or losing face.

With Shirou she felt the simple, easy flow of conversation between friends. His offhanded confidence and easy-going sense of humor put her at ease and she found that she wasn't planning where to steer the conversation or what she would say to get a desired reaction out of him. She just talked about what was on her mind and listened while he talked about what was on his. She found that he had a very intelligent and analytical mind under his affable and humorous persona. He wasn't very serious, and he didn't have a lot of education, but he was very clever and methodical. His compassion and unerring sense of honor had started as an over correction for what he had been when he served Kotomine but over the years had come to reflect his true internal nobility.

Shirou led them to a small convenience store near the motel. Together they picked out some easy to eat finger foods and and sweets which he bundled into an impromptu picnic basket. He led them through the quickening dusk to a large, heavily forested park in the center of the city surrounded by thick trees and bisected by meandering walkways. There was a large hill in the center of the park that was clear of trees except for a large, gnarled oak perched at its very crest like a lone sentinel. Rin and Shirou made their way up the hill and sat with their backs against the rough bark while they enjoyed their picnic dinner.

Regrettably they'd missed the sunset but the sky was still deepening towards twilight. Jagged tiger stripes of orange purple against navy streaked the sparse white cloud cover. The light shrank towards the horizon as the sun receded deeper and deeper beneath the horizon. As the light finally died the tiny twinkling of stars shone through to replace the multi hued brilliance, their milky expanse mirrored in the the glittering lights of skyscrapers and headlights below them.

As the evening wore on the conversation died down. Not because they had run out of subjects to talk about, but because any conversation would be an intrusion on the loveliness and ambiance of the moment. Shirou was leaned back up against the tree and Rin was snuggled next to him, his arm over her shoulder and her head resting on his broad chest. She could hear the steady even beat of his heart and feel the rise and fall of his breathing. His features were silhouetted against the stars, the strong cut of his jaw running past his neckline up to his ear. She traced his features in the dark until she reached his eyes, glittering in the darkness and fixed on hers.

They stared at each other eye to eye for a long moment. Rin couldn't tell if her own heart was pounding in her chest or if Shirou's was pounding against it. Shirou's gaze flicked downwards, flittering between her wide eyes and her ever so slightly parted lips. Her breathing quickened as his head dipped, lower and lower. One hand left hers and rose to gently caress her cheek as he pulled her up to him.

Rin closed her eyes as he kissed her. The kiss was tender, tentative. He drew back for a moment and then kissed her again. And again, and again. Each kiss grew in mounting waves of intensity and passion until at last Rin collapsed panting against him with a breathless sigh.

Shirou held her close and they sat in satisfied silence until the evening chill began to creep up on them.

"C'mon." He said at last, gently nudging Rin and then helping her to her feet.

"It's getting late, let's go home."

She waited for a moment while he gathered up their trash and stuffed it down into one of the plastic bags they'd brought. He quickly caught up to her and slipped his free hand around her waist. She leaned into him as they walked. The worm of an idea had been growing in the back of Rin's mind but she had been too nervous to voice it out loud. But what better time than now, with Shirou on her arm radiating warmth and comfort?

"S-Shirou?" She said, somewhat more timidly than she'd like. She was glad for the darkness to hide her blush.

"I-I-I've been thinking about your powers, and the way you pay for them from your lifespan. There-there might be a way to avoid that. There's a ritual, a way to t-t-transfer mana from one person to another. I...I could give you..." Rin trailed off nervously, her courage failing her.

Shirou heaved a sad sigh and kissed her forehead.

"I don't think that will work." He said. "Correct me if I'm wrong but from what Caster told me everyone has reserves of prana, right? Some more than others? And as you cast spells your prana becomes depleted until you run out, then you need to rest and let it regenerate. But in my case my powers don't actually use my prana. My mana reserves are technically always full, I just pull from my soul instead of using mana at all. I appreciate the thought but I don't think this is a problem that we can solve by lighting some candles and casting some kind of energy transfer spell."

"But it's still worth a shot, right? I m-m-mean, we can at least try it, right?" Rin pushed on, her nervousness hitting her in the face like a brick in a handbag.

Shirou shook his head, as oblivious as ever much to Rin's chagrin. He had no idea what it was that she was suggesting.

"I'm not willing to risk it. Who knows what would happen? My powers shorten my lifespan. I know it. I've accepted that. I gave up feeling cheated a long time ago. If we try any sort of ritual you may give me your mana. But you may give me something else, something you can't afford to lose. I might hurt you and I...I'm not willing to take that risk."

Rin harumphed remorsefully and snuggled closer to Shirou. She wanted to jump on him like a tiger pouncing on a deer. A sexy, mysterious deer with a heroic physique and a smile like sun breaking through the clouds. In the heat of the moment it was easy to overlook the deer's constant lies and history as a mass-murdering assassin. Okay, maybe not that easy to overlook now that Rin thought about it. She did love Shirou, that she knew. But maybe he was inadvertently right even as he completely missed the point of what she was proposing. There were too many trust issues between them. It would be better to take things slow.

Still, Rin felt a slight twitch of regret when Shirou pulled away to toss their leavings into a nearby dumpster. There was something familiar about the way he moved, a presence that seemed to fill her mind. It reminded her of someone.

No, it wasn't Shirou. Rin _was_ detecting a presence. A presence that she'd be able to recognize even if she was blind. Berserker!

"Look out!" She screamed. At the same time she threw her hands out and sent a wave of force barreling towards Shirou. It knocked him off of his feet and threw him out of the way. At that same instant something enormous smashed into the ground where he had just been standing. It was a telephone pole, the end still caked with black earth where it had been wrenched out of the ground. Shirou groaned and tried to sit up, dazed, and Rin looked around wildly for Berserker.

She saw him, his massive form unmistakeable even in the darkness, silhouetted against the moonlight. He was just recovering from his throw perched on the eave of a nearby rooftop. He must have been tailing them, waiting for them to separate so he could try and crush Shirou without harming Rin.

"Berserker! Wait! Just come talk to me!" She cried.

But before she could follow he had disappeared over the eaves of the roof. Rather than pursue him Rin rushed to Shirou's side.

"I'm alright. Just a little shook up is all." He said as she helped him up.

"Perfect end to a perfect evening, eh?" He joked. "We'd better not stick around. Tomorrow we'll find out what Kotomine is up to once and for all. And maybe if we're lucky we can find out why Berserker wants me dead."


	28. Chapter 27

Rin awoke to the sound of running water and off key humming, evidently Shirou's morning routine as he splashed around in the small motel shower. The singing and splashing cut off and Shirou emerged some minutes later toweling his hair off. To Rin's regret he already had his shirt back on, by this point she was confident enough in her own feelings to admit that she'd hoped to catch a glimpse of him shirtless. Instead she bounced off the bed and headed in to the bathroom herself.

"You'd better not have used up all the hot water." She griped good naturedly, pausing to reach up on her tiptoes and give Shirou a kiss on he point of his chin as she passed him.

Shirou's features spread into a grin and he caught her on her way past. He gathered her up in his arms and planted a kiss on her lips before setting her back down.

"Don't worry I...um...er..." He blushed a little and tried to look anywhere but the neckline of her nightgown.

"I actually wound up taking a cold shower. Which I do...sometimes. In the morning. To wake up. Yeah."

To cover his blush Shirou spun Rin around, bustled her into the bathroom, and shut the door behind her.

"I'll go get us some breakfast!" He called through the thin walls.

Rin heard the front door slam and heaved a sigh.

By the time she was finished with her morning routine Shirou had returned with bagels and coffee. Well, coffee for him, tea for her. Rin was surprised at how happy and energetic Shirou was. The morning before they had gone to confront Kotomine he had been the picture of grim determination. Focused. Angry.

This morning he was as happy and talkative as ever despite the conflict looming closer than ever above them. When Rin asked him about it he gulped down the last of his breakfast and took her handover the small table.

"I should've thought that was obvious." He said with a smile, giving her a deep look.

"I've been a solo act since, well, forever. I've had allies and partners, even friends before. But it was always...temporary. Convenient. This is the first time I've had someone like you in my corner. The first time I've had a...a sweetheart. It changes everything. Makes me feel like I'm not alone anymore. I mean...to me you're more than...oh!" Shirou said as something suddenly occurred to him.

"I guess that's a little presumptuous of me without asking. Do you, um, do you wanna be my sweetheart?" He asked nervously.

Rin couldn't help but giggle which made Shirou blush all the harder, but he didn't let go of her hand. For someone who was comfortable going toe to toe with resurrected heroes and supernatural monstrosities his heartfelt query sounded like a middle schooler nervously asking a girl to be his valentine.

For her answer Rin rounded the table and plopped herself down in Shirou's lap and garlanded her arms around his neck and showered his face with kisses.

"Does that answer your question?" She said breathlessly, resting her head against his chest.

She could feel him panting beneath her and they held each other for a long moment. When they finally broke apart Shirou kissed her and set her on her feet.

"Okay then. Well...that's...okay then." He said at a happy loss for words..

"Well, it's time for business. Are you ready?" He said, his tone dropping to seriousness.

Rin nodded. It was time.

They left their hotel and went directly to the street that Magnus had told them the safe house was on. It was relatively close, Rin assumed that's why Shirou had chosen the location that he had to hole up in. As they walked an all too familiar sense of trepidation welled up in Rin. But she fought down all the old fears and insecurities that threatened to overwhelm her. She knew what the opposition was. She knew what was at stake. But right now, with Shirou at her side, she felt like she could face anything.

At last they stood in front of a run down apartment complex, number 6 Revelacion Manara. The familiar smell of mildew and rot permeated the air. The building reminded Rin of the first of Kotomine's safe houses that they had discovered and she could definitely see a pattern to his operating doctrine. He ran labs in innocuous looking abandoned buildings and coordinated his extensive organization from the shadows. Would this be another dead end? Another clue in a long string of clues that had led them precisely nowhere?

There was only one way to find out.

Rin was already familiar with Kotomine's common security procedures. Subverting the monitoring spell on the mundane electrical alarm system was a relatively simple matter now that she knew to look for it. A popping sound and a thin thread of smoke hissed from the door frame as Rin overloaded the alarm and Shirou cautiously pushed the door open. The interior was unlit, dark and yawning like a cave mouth. Shirou felt around inside the door for a light switch but couldn't find one. Rin summoned a tiny hovering ball of light above her outstretch hand and led the way inside.

They passed sagging hallways and crumbling door frames, working their way deeper into the building as they looked for the correct room. And there it was. Number Eight, the paint flaking off of the old style metal numbering riveted to the door.

Shirou raised a finger to his lips and tried the door.

The interior of the room was a far cry from the brown stains and green mildew of the corridor. It looked like a hospital or a laboratory, all white linoleum and the steady buzz of fluorescent lighting. Against one wall a blinking array of medical equipment glittered. The center of the room was taken up by a large flat freight elevator surrounded by a waist high safety cage. Evidently it descended through the floor of the room into unknown chambers below the earth. Rin's heart beat excitedly. This had to be it, the secret underground research facility that Kotomine used as his headquarters.

She moved forwards excitedly but Shirou put a restraining hand on her shoulder. She followed his gaze to a corner that she hadn't noticed at first. There was a large metal tank there, hooked by snaking wires to the blinking array of medical monitoring equipment against the wall. It was tall and barrel shaped, covered up and down with rivets and electronics. It looked like a sensory deprivation chamber or a massive steel coffin. A large bold Ʃ, the latin symbol sigma, was stenciled on the front.

As if it detected their scrutiny the pod began to emit a hiss like a high pressure valve being released. A jet of steam shot out around its seam as a large, heavy lid swung forward on automated hinges. Shirou cautiously stepped between Rin and the coffin as it swung open to reveal its contents.

Rin wasn't at all surprised to see that the pod's lone occupant was Sigma. He leered out at them from behind Shirou's face, his features twisted into a mocking grin. He looked like a corruption of everything that made Shirou noble and good. He sneered where Shirou smiled and smirked where Shirou laughed.

He stepped out of the pod and performed a mocking little bow.

"Welcome home, brother." He said.

Shirou bristled.

"This isn't my home. And we aren't brothers." He snapped.

He dropped into a combat stance but Sigma ignored him, meandering around the room at a leisurely pace as he addressed them in a tone of sardonic amusement.

"Tsk tsk, Is that any way to speak to family, Omega? I suppose you're here to see Fath-"

"Shut up!" Shirou barked.

Sigma responded with a cruel laugh. He had positioned himself between Shirou and the elevator. With one hand hanging loosely by his side he raised his other towards Shirou, palm up. He looked relaxed but Rin could see the tension running through his body. The readiness to attack.

"Hit a nerve, did I? No matter. I'm afraid I can't let you do that. You see, the project is nearing its final, critical stages. It's your doing, in a way. With you gone there was nothing that could be done with the Omega weapons. Father switched all his research efforts into perfecting the Alpha weapon instead."

For the first time Shirou hesitated.

"Is that what he's up to? Blast it Sigma, tell me! Or I'll tear this place down around you until I get answers!"

Sigma tsked again.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that either. Not while Alpha is so close to activation." He said.

Shirou gritted his teeth.

"You're forgetting one thing, Sigma." He said, his voice grim. "I've always been stronger than you. You may taunt, or boast or try to delay me. But in the end only one fact matters. You can't beat me."

For the first time Sigma's mask of patronizing mockery fell away and cold rage suffused across his features. His jaw clenched and unclenched. It looks like it was Shirou who had hit the nerve this time.

Sigma's reply was deadly quiet. Calm. Almost a whisper.

"Can't I?" He said softly.

The words hung in the air for one long heartbeat. And then, with a terrific roar, Sigma charged forwards. Shirou pushed Rin out of the way and grunted as Sigma plowed into him. Instantly a torrent of magic filled the air as both he and Shirou were engulfed in their twin vortexes of power. Their strength and speed increased exponentially and Rin had trouble following their battle with her eyes. They clashed and rolled about the room, feinting, maneuvering, and trying to get a punishing strike in on the other. Each rained blows strong enough to shatter concrete on the other, and each fortified their bodies so that concrete shattering hits glanced off like feather pillows.

Rin retreated back into the doorway. She knew that one stray blow would be enough to pulverize her. She also knew that at the speeds they were moving at she didn't have a prayer of hitting Sigma with a spell without running and equal chance of hitting Shirou. But she also knew that all she needed was one chance, one opening to get spell off and she could turn the tables in Shirou's favor.

The two combatants were extremely even matched and Rin could see that they were identical in nearly every way. Physically, mentally, and magically they were almost perfectly equal to each other. But Shirou was a touch stronger, a hair faster, a tiny bit more cunning. And slowly, little by little, the tide of the battle shifted in his favor.

Battles between Grail Servants were high speed, graceful affairs. Two weapon masters with the strength and speed of gods dancing around each other trying for a single blow that would end the battle. This fight was different. It was a brutal, barbaric brawl between two unarmed superhumans. Each landed blows that rocked the other to his core. Here Sigma seized Shirou by the back of his head and slammed his face into a counter top hard enough to shatter it. There Shirou struck Sigma a blow powerful enough to send him crashing half through the wall and into the next chamber. They battered each other with anything they could get their hands on, turning pipes and shards of glass into weapons as deadly as anything manufactured by modern man. But in the end it was Sigma, bruised, bleeding, and panting, that dropped to one knee.

Shirou stood over him, blood dripping from his knuckles and from a dozen wounds covering his body. His fists were clenched, shaking. Sigma held up a warding hand.

"Wait...just wait." He coughed.

Shirou paused but didn't lower his guard.

"You give up? This is pointless, I don't wanna hurt you." He said.

Sigma's shoulders began heaving as he went into a coughing fit. His shoulders continued to shake as his coughs morphed into chuckles that escalated into a manic cackle.

"He, hehe, ha...hahahaha, HAHAHAHA!"

He reached slowly into a pocket on his gear and pulled out a small object. Shirou brought his hands up instinctively but Sigma tossed it at his feet. Keeping his wary eyes on the chuckling assassin Shirou bent to retrieve it. It was a small cell phone, shattered in the fighting.

"Oh no..." Rin breathed.

"You called it in." Shirou said flatly.

"The second you walked through that door." Sigma confirmed gleefully.

"The other masters will be here any second. And...cough...when they do...it won't matter how strong you are." He hissed through gritted teeth.

Rin ran forward and grabbed Shirou's sleeve.

"Come on. We need to go. Now!" She said urgently.

Shirou looked torn. He looked at the hallway behind him. He looked at the elevator that led to the answers that he needed.

"NO!" He cried, anguish tearing the word from his throat.

"Not while we're so close!" He said.

He marched forwards past Sigma's kneeling form. Rin hoovered in the doorway filled with uncertainty. Did she follow Shirou? Could she convince him to escape with her?

But as he passed Sigma pushed himself to his feet. He wavered there, looking like he was on the brink of collapse. But his eyes were full of hatred and he blocked Shirou's path.

"You were...never willing...to do what it took." He grimaced.

"Get out of my way." Was all Shirou said in reply.

Sigma gave one last smirk. His shoulders relaxed, tension flowing out of his body. Rin though he would collapse but somehow he stayed on his feet. He began to chant tonelessly.

"Burst limit override initiated." He said in a flat, hollow voice.

Suddenly Shirou's attention snapped to him. To Rin's surprise he immediately began backing away.

"Oh no. Sigma...don't!" He pleaded.

But Sigma ignored him and continued his chant.

"Steel take my body. Fire burn my blood..."

Shirou whirled and sprinted towards Rin. He grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her behind him. Sigma continued chanting but Rin couldn't make out the words.

"Run!" Shirou yelled, and Rin did just that.

She didn't know what was going on but she did know one thing. Never, not even in the very face of death, had she seen a look of fear on Shirou's face like she saw right now.

Just as they burst out into the street Rin gasped. Behind them in the building she felt a massive surge of magical power. It felt like a miniature supernova had exploded in the building.

They hadn't run twelve steps before Sigma burst through the side of the building behind them. He didn't bother following them through the corridor. He just waded through the bricks and steel that composed the frame of the building like they were tissue paper and smashed through the wall into the street. His face was a mask of pure, insane hatred. He threw back his head and roared like a wild animal. Shirou turned to face him, putting himself between Rin and the beast that was wearing Sigma's skin.

His magical energy was astronomical, maybe even as strong as a fully fledged Servant. If his powers had the same origin as Shirou's, and Rin suspected that they did, he must be burning through his lifespan an a horrifying rate.

"Sigma stop this! You'll kill yourself!" She yelled.

"Don't bother. His mind is gone. He's nothing more than an animal now." Shirou said grimly.

As if to lend credence to his words Sigma charged. Rin didn't even see him move. The only thing Rin had ever seen move that fast was Lancer. One instant he was standing in the rubble of the wall, chest heaving, eyes wild, the next he had seized Shirou by the throat and slammed him into the sidewalk. He continued his charge and dragged Shirou along with him, the concrete crumbling and bunching up as he dragged him through it. He threw Shirou into a street lamp hard enough to sever the steel pylon and send him crashing through it to the other side. He struggled to his feet just in time to meet Sigma's next assault. Sigma swung a fist and Shirou caught it. And then the other when Sigma swung again. And so they stood, eye to eye, straining against each other, locked hand to hand.

But even drawing on his powers at their maximum capacity left Shirou with only a fraction of the strength that his bestial assailant possessed. And while he could hold his own for one hit, or even two, the third rocked him to his core as he desperately tried to defend himself.

Once again Rin tried to find an opening to cast a spell that wouldn't hit Shirou, this time her actions fueled by desperation. She threw up a shield between them which Sigma shattered with a casual backhand. It gave Shirou an opening to scramble away and regain his feet. Rin could see that he was disoriented from the blow and she tried again to shield him. Between her shielding and Shirou's dodging the battle turned into a deadly game of delaying tactics.

If Rin switched from defensive to offensive spells Shirou would be crushed in a matter of moments. And his constant defensive fighting left him with no openings against the ravening Sigma. Their only saving grace was that Sigma was intent on pursuing Shirou with single minded fury. He ignored Rin entirely and focused all his attention on catching Shirou, doing nothing to disrupt her casting and giving her free reign to exert as much control over the battle as she could.

As the battle unfolded Rin could see the desperation of their tactical situation. Either she would run out of mana and her spells, the only thing keeping Sigma from obliterating Shirou outright, would fail; the hits that Sigma did manage to get in would wear Shirou down and take him out of the fight; or, and Rin hopped against hope for this, Sigma would burn though is remaining lifespan so quickly that all they'd have to do is survive until he burned out on his own. The only problem with the last eventuality was that they had no way of knowing how fast Sigma was burning through his reserves. Or how long his reserves were in the first place.

But as the fight began to stretch out it became apparent what would happen. Even with Rin helping him, even with his powers burning at full blaze, Shirou was no match for the enraged Sigma. She was desperately casting about for another option when out of the blue the shield that she had been conjuring dissipated. There was a burst of magical energy from behind her and Rin felt an expertly crafted counterspell suck all the mana out of the ward she had been crafting.

"No!" She cried and whirled around.

Rider and his short, chubby master Emil stood there. Rider looked as boisterous and energetic as ever. Emil had a look of grim concentration on his face.

Rin didn't have a chance to react as Rider charged past her, her attention was taken up as Emil tried to blast her with a fireball. Rin wove a quick counter spell but didn't retaliate as she glanced behind her. To her surprise Rider had interposed himself between Sigma and Shirou. With the impregnable defense afforded by his Fleece he had little difficulty warding off Sigma's ravening assault.

"I had heard that your Servant was dead. Obviously I was misinformed." Emil said.

Rin stared at him blanky for a moment before everything clicked. Of course! He assumed that Sigma was Rin's servant! He had never seen either of them and for all he knew the ravening construct behind them was Berserker. He was certainly powerful enough to be mistaken for a Servant.

"You've got it all wrong." Rin panted, dodging to the side and quickly deflecting a mana bolt.

"That isn't Berserker. I have no control over him."

Emil paused and dropped his hands, a puzzled expression falling over his face. Still, his eyes held a note of suspicion. If there was one thing that always governed the dealings of mages from rival families it was suspicion. His hands ignited with energy and Rin could sense him readying an attack.

"Why should I believe you? I was told that your Servant was defeated when he killed Saber. I was told that you had access to the Omega weapon." He said, holding his spell ready to sling.

"That _is_ the Omega weapon. One of them, anyway." Rin said.

She glanced behind her and was heartened by what she saw. Rider was having no trouble holding off Sigma's attacks. Sigma's strength was in his speed and brute force. But his mind was little more than an animal drive to destroy and all the brute strength in the world yields little against a magical barrier that ablates all force applied to it. Sigma didn't try to get around Rider's defenses, or lure him into a vulnerable position, or even get around him to attack Shirou. He simply attacked head on again and again and was easily repulsed, Rider scoring a number of deep slashes with his shortsword in the exchange.

Behind him Shirou was struggling to regain his feet.

"Believe me or don't, either way it's in your best interest to put him down." Rin said.

With that she turned her back and rushed to Shirou's side. She expected at any moment to feel Emil's readied spell come crashing into her but to her relief he ignored her as she exposed herself and moved to support Rider instead. A couple of quick snares turned the battle even more firmly in Rider's favor. Sigma attacked with a crazed overhand smash and Rider met the blow squarely on his golden fleece, following up the recoil from the blow with a quick stab into Sigma's thigh.

Rin rushed to Shirou's side and helped him up, hooking his arm over her shoulder to support him. He wasn't in nearly as bad shape as when Berserker had almost killed him but he was still very battered. This time Rin had the better part of her mana reserves available, however, and it was the matter of a quick spell to heal up the wounds he had received. He drew in a sharp intake of breath as two cracked ribs popped back into place and shot Rin a thankful grin. Unlike Caster's reverse-time healing Rin's healing spells worked by accelerating the healing process. Shirou would definitely have some new scars from the experience but at least he was alright.

They turned back to the one sided fight before them and Shirou's face once again fell stony. Sigma was a pitiful sight. His direct attacks couldn't hope to penetrate Rider's shield and he spared no thought for his own defense. Between Emil's support magic and Rider's calm, collected battle strategy he was quickly being worn down. Wounds in his legs limited his mobility to a shuffle and blood flowed from a dozen cuts that would be fatal to a normal human. But despite his injuries he attacked as ravenously as ever, crawling when he couldn't stand and dragging himself along the ground in a ferocious, mindless bid to destroy Rider despite the damage to his own body.

With Rider handily containing the threat Emil backed off several paces and addressed Rin and Shirou.

"Now, would you care to explain what's going on? If this...creature is related to the Omega weapon I'd rather not destroy it out of hand." He said.

To Rin's great surprise it was Shirou who answered.

"Yes, he's a version of the Omega weapon. A prototype, actually. But his mind is gone now. He's nothing more than a beast. You'll get no answers from him." He said grimly.

Rider looked to Emil, fending off another futile attack from Sigma at the same time. Emil nodded. Shirou averted his eyes. With a grunt and a swift thrust Rider dashed in under Sigma's defenses and rammed his blade into his heart. Sigma's eyes remained twisted with hate and rage even as they clouded over and faded into lifelessness.

As Sigma's corpse tumbled into the dirt and his intense magical aura faded Rider marched to Emil's side.

"Hardly a death becoming a warrior. And hardly a battle worthy of my skills." He said distastefully.

Emil silenced him with a gesture.

"Now that that's settled," He said, addressing Rin. He assumed an accusatory stance and Rider mimicked his master, pointing his blade at Shirou and Rin. Shirou dropped imperceptibly into a combat stance but Rin put a hand on his shoulder.

"There's the matter of the Omega weapon. You have it. I want it. And as you can plainly see the only way you're going to get out of here alive is by giving it to me." Emil said in a businesslike tone, idly adjusting his cufflinks. He had none of Kirill's vindictiveness or Magnus's arrogance. For him the War was like a business transaction to be conducted as swiftly and professionally as any other.

"I can see I don't have much choice. How much do you know about the weapon?" Rin asked carefully.

"As much as I need to. It's dangerous and powerful, it's the key to winning this war, and judging by our late friend here I'd guess that it boosts physical abilities, perhaps at the cost of higher reasoning skills." He said.

"Well that's..." Rin began.

"It's a little more complicated than that. The weapon isn't something you can just strap to your hip." Shirou said.

"Yes, we do have the Omega weapon. But it isn't something we can just hand over, even if you do have a Servant aimed at us. But about twenty yards behind you there is an elevator that leads to all the answers to all your questions. And mine too, incidentally. What do you say to a truce?"

Emil snorted.

"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Why would I risk you two leading me into an ambush?" He said.

"So say it's an ambush." Rin chimed in.

"What would that accomplish? While you have a Servant there really isn't anything we can do to you. As long as Rider is by your side we really _can't_ ambush you. What have you got to lose?" She said.

Emil considered for a long moment, his eyes narrowed in thought. Rider seemed content to either cut them down where they stood or follow them into the building. At last Emil nodded and Rin heaved a mental sigh of relief.

"Very well, show me. But I warn you, one sign of treachery and Rider will have both of your heads before you can think. Is that clear?" He said.

"Crystal." Shirou replied and lead the way.

They marched back in through the rubble that Sigma had strewn about in his madness, past the blinking row of equipment in the safe room, and onto the industrial elevator in the center of the room. Shirou thumbed the clunky control box and with a sudden jerk that quickly smoothed into a rapid decent they sunk into the floor. The dark tunnel enveloped them like a mouth, the air rapidly cooling as they descended.


	29. Chapter 28

Rin's apprehension rose as the elevator sunk into the earth, the clean white light of the room above fading to a dim shadow realm illuminated by running lights dotted sparsely along the shaft. The walls were stark bare concrete punctuated now and again by seams where the forms had been during construction, like a sidewalk turned on its side. Into one wall a deep inset raceway was covered by a grate, a number of power and data cables feeding life from the surface to whatever awaited them below.

Rider and Emil stood quietly at one side of the lift and she and Shirou at the other. Neither pair spoke although Rin was certain they had to have questions. It was as if the oppressive, expectant atmosphere of their decent suppressed conversation.

As the elevator ride stretched on Rin tried to calculate how far they might be beneath the earth. Surely they were beneath the streets, beneath the sewers and subways, beneath the foundations and the roots of the city. As they descended further the poured concrete abruptly gave way to solid bedrock carved with the teethmarks of massive digging tools. Some minutes later the elevator ground to a halt in front of an enormous set of steel doors. A lifetime of science fiction television had conditioned Rin to expect them to slide apart and recede into the rock face with the grinding of hidden machinery. Instead she saw as Shirou stepped forward that they swung inward on a massive set of hinges. They were secured with a sophisticated electronic locking system, the sort that you'd find on a bank vault or nuclear silo.

"This could be a problem." Rin said, glancing at Emil to make sure he wouldn't try anything before stepping forward to examine the lock. The keypad was blank and with no way of guessing the combination the doors seemed an insurmountable barrier. She was about to reach out and try to magically force the lock when Shirou stepped up next to her. He put his hands flat against the cool metal of the door, pulled a thin thread of power into himself, and began to push.

To Rin's surprise the door began to move inward with the whispering hiss of hydraulic fluids and metal-on-metal lubricants.

"It's not locked. He knows we're coming." Shirou said grimly in response to her questioning glance.

He pushed the huge portal wide enough for them to step through single file and was about to do so when Rider grabbed his wrist.

"Master, this could still be an ambush. I'll go first." He said.

"By all means, but be careful." Emil replied with a nod.

Rider bowed slightly and then stepped through, taking a moment to sweep for threats before motioning the rest of them through after him. Rin stepped through and into a white corridor dimly lit with a single flickering fluorescent fixture. It had the same hospital stark decor of the room above, a sterile and foreboding tunnel that lead straight onwards and then ran up against a simple set of double wooden doors. Rin's dread mounted as they drew nearer and nearer. It peaked when they swung open.

The room was brightly lit and furnished like a simple, functional, innocuous office. There was a row of filing cabinets and a water fountain. There was a potted plant. A dark haired figure sat at the desk that dominated the center of the room.

He was flanked on either side by two rigid backed guards standing at attention. They were wearing black tactical gear and featureless metal masks. Rin knew if she looked beneath the masks she would see Shirou's face staring back at her.

The figure at the desk added a deft pen stroke to the paperwork that he was fiddling with and then straightened.

"Hello, Omega." Kotomine said.

There was a moments shocked pause while the small group stared across the desk. When it looked like nobody would speak Kotomine shrugged and pushed himself up.

"I'm a bit surprised to..." He began. But the shock of seeing him in the flesh quickly wore off and he was interrupted by an inarticulate scream.

"YOU!" Shirou raged, leaping forward across the desk.

Like lightning Rider whipped his arm forward, dragging Shirou backwards and slamming him onto the floor. In an instant the point of his sword was hoovering just over Shirou's throat, pinning him on his back.

Kotomine looked unperturbed by the outburst, standing and casually brushing off the shoulder of his cassock. Despite his casual attitude the room was an instant torrent of magical hostility. The two guards behind the desk quickly fortified themselves, Rin and Emil both drew on their mana reserves in preparation for spontaneous spell casting, Rider filled himself with the endless font of Grail energy bestowed upon all Servants, and even from his position on the floor Shirou began to channel his powers. The only person who made no hostile movements was Kotomine. Which was fortunate, since the situation was wound so tight that the smallest attack from any party would have set it off like a powder keg.

"Theta, Rho, stand down. Emil, Tohsaka, welcome. My thanks for returning my wayward son to me." He said, taking charge to calm the belligerent parties.

"You aren't my father, you...you...you piece of garbage." Shirou hissed.

Kotomine laughed.

"I'm a father of the church, aren't I? All the wayward lambs on gods green earth are my children." He said. "And the word you're searching for is son-of-a-bitch. Ah, but I'd forgotten what a boyscout you've become."

Shirou swatted Rider's blade away, seething. Rider glanced at Emil, who nodded, and the swarthy servant moved his sword to allow Shirou to regain his feet. He stood trembling with hatred and rage, his fists clenched and his teeth grinding with frustration. At the slightest move Rider would take his head off.

"How dare you call yourself..." Shirou began, but Emil cut him off.

"Ahem. A touching reunion, to be sure. But you made certain promises to me, and I intend to see them fulfilled." He said dryly.

"You promised me the Omega weapon, a promise that you seem less and less likely to be able to fulfill. You've called the boy Omega. While he does poses a goodly number of aerodynamic properties I doubt that having Rider wield the lad will give me the victory you promised. And that makes me upset. I believe you have some explaining to do."

Emil hadn't forgotten for an instant that he was the most powerful man in the room. Certainly, Rin and Kotomine were powerful mages. And yes, Shirou and the two clones possessed fortification magic that would boost their strength and speed to many times that of an average human. But none of them could hope to match a true Servant. And the only Servant in the room owed allegiance to Emil.

"Ah, yes, the weapon I promised you. You see, there's been a small change of plans. A change precipitated by Omega, here." Kotomine said, nodding his head towards Shirou.

"Stop calling me that! My name is..." He began in heated tones. He was silenced as Rider slapped the flat of his blade against his chest. Rin felt her ire rise. They were being ignored like children while Emil and Kotomine spoke.

Kotomine shook his head disapprovingly.

"Very well then. If you'd care to follow me I'll give you what was promised." He said, leading the way to a door at the back of the room. Before he reached it he snapped his fingers and the two clones guarding the desk sprang forward. Before they could react each had seized Rin by one of her arms and although she struggled she was no match for their magically enhanced strength. When they moved Shirou surged forward but Rider once again blocked him, this time lazily reaching out and slicing a long cut along his chest for his efforts.

Kotomine turned back to watch the commotion with a passive expression on his face.

"Come along quietly, you two. I don't think it's necessary to mention that if you make any trouble for me I'll have Rho snap her neck like a twig." He said.

Shirou gritted his teeth but didn't move. And so, with Rin in the clone's grip and Shirou in Rider's, they marched deeper into the underground facility. Kotomine spoke with the tone of a bored teacher delivering a lecture.

"It is the goal of all great men to gain in power and dominion, to control other men and shape the world to their whims. Power can mean many different things to many different people but in all cases it means control. What do you suppose are the two great powers of the modern world?" He asked.

"The Church and the Mages." Emil answered with the air of a bored student who was simply humoring an overeager instructor.

"That's, well, that's not what I meant." Kotomine said. "My fault, I suppose that's a leading question. No, I mean the power of Magic and the wondrous powers of Technology."

Emil snorted.

"Technology? You mean the blinking lights and meaningless weapons that the proletariat clings to? Worthless when compared to the power of magic. Any mage could defeat any soldier any time he wanted to." He retorted.

"Aaaaah, so you see." Kotomine said slyly. "Yes, on an individual basis the mage will win every time. But what about ten soldiers? Or twenty? Or a hundred? Or a thousand? Why is it that mages cower in their clocktower and hide their existence from the world instead of taking their rightful place as leaders of humanity? To put it simply, we're outnumbered. It takes a lifetime of training to produce a mage powerful enough to be considered a warrior. At the same time even the poorest nation could produce enough weapons to outfit a hundred armies. And that's small arms only. What about missiles? Tanks? Satellites? No, as long as mages rely on traditional magic we will forever be rats nibbling at the great feast that is our world instead of ruling it as is our right."

As he spoke they rounded a corner and approached another large set of doors.

"As you may be aware I was one of the Masters in the last Heaven's Feel. I saw there the utter purity, the incorruptible power of the Grail. The power of the Servants. The man who controlled such a weapon as a Servant could rule the world! But a Servant will not last out the Grail War. When the grail vanishes so must they. And therein lies the challenge. How do you transform a temporary boon granted by the Grail into a permanent weapon with which to crush the nations of man underfoot? Oh, you could feed it a continuous stream of prana, perhaps from a series of victims sacrificed over a long period of time to maintain its potency. But that's so...inefficient. Primeval. And once again you face the simple but insurmountable obstacle of numbers. How much could you hope to accomplish with just one Servant, no matter how powerful? Oh, you could gain dominion over one city. Perhaps even a country. But what of the rest of the world? Every nation aligned against you the instant that you display your power?"

"No, the solution I stumbled upon lay in the opposite direction. Rather than take the attributes of a weapon and convey them on a Servant, why not take the attributes of a Servant and convey them upon a weapon? Here at last I began to have some success. On the one hand I had the pure, hard sciences of man. Cloning. Genetic manipulation. Brainwashing. On the other I had the great magics of the Grail. The speed and strength of a Servant, the ability to pull energy from a magical contract. It was the combination of the two that first yielded results. A hybrid. Perhaps it could be called a clone. Perhaps it could be called a homunculus. Neither would be perfectly accurate. It has the magical potency of the Servant that it was created from and the natural fortification magic of the child that provided its basic genetic structure. Powerful. Disposable. Easy to control. Well...with one exception." Kotomine said with a sardonic grin in Shirou's direction.

Emil blanched. He clearly thought Kotomine was as insane as Rin did.

"This boy, Omega, is one of these creations? And that creature Sigma as well? I remain unimpressed. Yes, it was destructive and powerful. But still no match for Rider by any stretch of the imagination." He said haughtily, glancing at Shirou.

"Ah," Said Kotomine slyly. "You're forgetting my creations' main strength. Something no Servant or mage could ever hope to match. A capacity that will make them the most fearsome weapon on the planet..."

They had reached the end of the corridor and Kotomine threw open the doors with a flourish.

Rin gasped.

"Mass production."

They stood at one end of a massive underground storage facility, its ceiling stretching up and up into indistinguishable darkness. There were rows upon rows of massive metal racks stretching upwards into that darkness and marching outwards from a central aisle. Arrayed neatly in these racks were countless metal coffins identical to the stasis pod in the safe room high above them that had held Sigma. There were hundreds, even thousands of them marching back into the darkness like neat little soldiers.

They stood in silence for a moment, Rin horrified, Emil impressed. The enforcer holding her shoved her roughly forwards and they fell into step behind Kotomine once again. Beside her Shirou was seething but could do nothing under the watchful eyes of Rider and the others.

"This is...quite the project." Emil said. "But why tell me all this? Why bring me here?" He asked.

Kotomine gave him a smile like a cat just before it pounced on a mouse.

"Why, your Servant, of course. That's the whole reason I triggered the War. You see, I've tapped out my research. There's only so much that I can do with the available samples. I need fresh subjects. Humans, why, those are easy to come by. But Servants? That's another matter entirely."

"What!?" Emil burst out, stepping away from Kotomine. Beside her Rin felt Rider stiffen and she braced herself for action. Shirou caught her eye and she nodded imperceptibly. This could be their chance to break away.

Kotomine shrugged and spread his hands in a non-threatening gesture that he none the less managed to make look like a raised fist.

"It's simple, you have a choice afforded to few. Turn your command seals over to me now and leave this place. Rider will fuel my research and you will be assured a place at my side. Refuse and I'll take your seals, a process that you likely won't survive, and in the long run nothing will change. You will be dead and I'll get exactly what I want anyway."

Emil barked a laugh.

"You'll kill me? You?" He let out another dangerous sounding chuckle.

"I should kill you for your temerity. Come, Rider. We're leaving. You can stay here and play your sick games. But know this. If I ever see you again I _will_ kill you." He said, standing chest to chest with Kotomine.

Kotomine shook his head sadly.

"My apologies, but I can't simply let you leave. I hoped it wouldn't come to this..." He said, stepping backwards.

Rider followed him with his eyes but didn't release Shirou. But Kotomine moved in a sudden rush, dashing backwards and hitting the activation node on a nearby container. It stood near the end of the row in a position of no real significance. But Rin could make out the lettering embossed on the surface of the metal coffin. Each of the surrounding coffins had a long serial number including clone generation and experiment number. The coffin that Kotomine activated had one single glyph. A stylized Α. The symbol Alpha.

The coffin split open with a hiss and pressurized mist began to billow out. Rider snapped his attention forward. Shirou seized the opportunity and rushed him off balance with his shoulder, pulling away from the surprised Servant's grip. He pulled Rin out of the grip of the enforcer that held her. There was a burst of magical power from him and he hurled the masked clone into a nearby row of containers. Rider made motions as if to engage them but Emil cut him off with a gesture.

"Let them go." He said. "There are more pressing issues."

Shirou grabbed Rin's hand and dashed away through the rows of metal pods, ducking around a corner and pulling her down out of sight.

"Are you alright? We have to get out of here." He said urgently.

They both peeped around the corner as the scene unfolded. Rider was standing his ground between Emil and Kotomine. Besides the dark mage the pod the had activated swung open. A figure emerged through the mists and Rin suppressed a shudder. It may have been handsome, once. The last vestiges of fine golden hair clung to a scalp ravaged by drugs, tissue samples, and repeated surgeries. Half of the twisted creature's skull had been replaced by a shiny metal plate, one eye socket hollowed out to reveal a faintly glowing red photoreceptor. Its body was a twisted mass of scar tissue cobbled together with stitches and stables. Vast swatches of flesh including its entire left arm had been replaced by glittering metallic cybernetics. Thick tubes of ichorous fluids ran between its flesh and its machinery. It was a ravaged, broken being, torn apart by Kotomine's dark experiments and then rebuilt as a slave to his will.

"Alpha. Kill the mage and subdue that Servant." Kotomine said in a conversational tone.

The Alpha weapon stepped forward, it's desiccated flesh pulling into a grimace. It opened its mouth, a mechanical grating like a pant coming from whatever machinery had replaced its voice box.

"Mon...grels..."


	30. Chapter 29

"That must be what's left of Kotomine's servant from the last War." Rin whispered to Shirou from their hiding place as the cybernetic monstrosity heaved itself towards Rider.

"Whatever it is, I've never seen it before." Shirou whispered back. "I know that I'm project Omega and I'd heard him reference project Alpha several times, but this is the first I've ever seen of it."

In front of them the fight began to form, both servants maneuvering for positioning. Rider stood proud and tall, his golden fleece thrown over his arm and his shortsword hanging easily from his other hand. Alpha limped forwards, his form hunched and twisted by the modifications that Kotomine had made to his body. What was the purpose? Rin wondered. Why mar the perfect Servant's form with crude steel?

Rider circled slowly, here and there ducking in to make an easy feint or launch an attack that Alpha offhandedly deflected, batting his sword away with a mechanical arm. They danced around each other for a couple of moments before the fight began in earnest. Rider struck first, dashing forward with a low strike angled to take Alpha's flesh and bone leg off at the knee. Alpha danced around the blow and then lashed out with a bare hand. Rin was confused for a moment but his seemingly ineffectual gesture was followed an instant later by a shimmer in the air behind him. With a ripple like a fish bursting through the surface of a smooth lake the air shattered and a long, slender blade shot forward. Rider quickly backpedaled and the sword slammed into the concrete floor at his feet.

Rider quickly opened some distance between himself and Alpha. The twisted former servant didn't bother giving chase. His soulless eyes fixated on Rider and he swept his arm forward again. Two more distortions appeared in the air above his shoulder and two more weapons leaped forwards, each a unique and ornate blade. Rider swept the golden fleece in front of him and there was a sound like shattering ice as he deflected both attacks. A confident smile returned to his features and Rin suspected that he had been more nervous about the attack then he let on.

Alpha's frown deepened and he spread both his hands. The dark machinery integrated into his flesh began to blink and cycle. Rin detected a faint flow of mana that deepened as Alpha drew on it. She felt around with her third eye in confusion, trying to pinpoint the source of the energy. It wasn't until she saw the lights on the nearby pods blinking in time that she realized what was going on. Alpha was drawing obscene amounts of magical energy from the dormant clones, and the modifications that Kotomine had made to his body were enabling the transfer.

"He's a seed!" She said in horrified awe as the full import of Kotomine's plan dawned on her.

Shirou quirked an eyebrow and she quickly explained.

"Servants can pull prana from anywhere, but mainly their supply comes from the grail. In a pinch they can pull from other sources, like humans. But that isn't very efficient. A regular human doesn't have enough prana to feed a being like a Servant, and even draining mana from a group of humans over a long period of time would take years and be very inefficient." She said.

Shirou's mouth drew into a grim line.

"But if he were pulling prana from a being like me..." He said, quickly catching on to what Rin was saying.

"Exactly. Kotomine used a bit of Alpha like a seed to grow hundreds of powerful half Servant hybrids. Now he's funneling all of their energy back into Alpha at once. He's taking a bit of Alpha to act as a seed, growing a crop that isn't as powerful as him but is far more numerous, then combining all of their energies back into Alpha himself." She said.

"And he has access to all the prana in the clones, plus all the prana that their remaining lifespan can be converted into. _That's _why my powers are fueled by my soul instead of my prana." Shirou finished grimly.

It was monstrous and brilliant. By using Alpha as the template to create Shirou and all of his fellow clones the transfer of prana between them would be much easier. And not only did the clones have an expanded prana reserve, they had a way of converting the energy of their own souls, their own lifespan, into even more magical energy.

"Alpha has to be the most powerful Servant ever to exist. I doubt that even Berserker could do anything against him with that much power at his disposal." She said.

"And that isn't the worst of it. This isn't Kotomine's only cloning facility. He has laboratories in Brazil, Canada, Russia, the Caymans, and god knows how many I don't even know about." Shirou added.

"We need to get out of here. Now." He said, grabbing Rin by the hand and sneaking away through the rows of glowing pods.

Behind them the sounds of battle began to echo throughout the cavernous lab complex. Rin could see flashes of energy and detect a steadily growing mass of prana that could only be Alpha. He dwarfed Rider's prana signature. Any other Servant would be obliterated nearly instantly. Only Rider's impenetrable defense let him hold Alpha off as long as he had. But he wouldn't be able to keep it up for long. Rider had to perfectly deflect every blow, dodge every blade. Alpha only had to nick him to begin slowly wearing him down.

Shirou led them deeper and deeper into the laboratory complex. At first Rin thought he was disoriented but they weren't far enough away from the elevator shaft to the surface for him to have lost his way.

"Where are we going?" She asked in a whisper as Shirou cautiously pushed through a nearby doorway that led away from the central storage area that they were in.

"There's something I have to do." He answered cryptically.

The passageway they found themselves in was a narrow hallway branching out into a labyrinth of rooms, holding cells, and laboratories. Most of the rooms were unlabeled and they moved through the deserted hallways quickly. Nobody stopped them and the dark passageways lit by flickering florescent lights seemed totally deserted. After several minutes they came to an unmarked intersection and Shirou hesitated.

"Kotomine uses similar floor plans in most of his outposts, but I don't recognize this place." He said, his brow furrowing in concentration. He looked nervously down both corridors, wavering for a moment before making up his mind with a nod.

"This way." He said.

Rin didn't ask where they were going but Shirou grew more and more nervous and restless as they approached their destination. Rin knew what this sort of agitation meant but didn't press him. He had enough difficulty opening up to her without her hounding him. Still, her curiosity was piqued when they came to a door at the end of an otherwise unremarkable hallway. All of the doors they had passed were labeled Laboratory 2-C or Holding Cell 18. This door was simply labeled EMIYA.

Shirou stood in silence for a moment, hesitation plain on his features. Rin laid a comforting hand on his shoulder and he placed his hand over hers. Then, with a deep breath, he tried the door. It was locked and before Rin could stop him a surge of power ran through Shirou and he kicked it off its hinges. Somewhere deep within the complex an alarm began to blare.

Shirou walked in slowly. He felt around for a light switch and Rin took a curious step in after him as he flicked it on. The room was empty except for a massive metal pod dominating the center of the floor. It was larger than the others that had contained the clones, with a dense bank of blinking medical equipment occupying the wall behind it. The same word, EMIYA, was stenciled across the front. Shirou approached tentatively and hit a control near the side of the pod.

There was the all too familiar hiss of escaping air as the hatch slid upwards and Rin prepared herself to cast a spell. The mist billowed away and Rin clapped a horrified hand to her mouth.

The figure nestled in the coffin was a dark, twisted mirror of Alpha. He was atrophied and desiccated, pale skin stretched over a bony frame punctuated with tubes and wires. Large sections of flesh had been peeled away as tissue samples, exposed muscles twitching and clenching feebly. Although he was missing an arm and both legs at the knee he was strapped into the bed, an immobile picture of mute suffering. The figures sunken eyes fixated on them and it opened its jaws, a nearly inaudible groan the only sound it could muster.

Rin's eyes darted back and forth between the pitiful husk in the pod and Shirou. He leaned forwards tentatively, his eyes flickering back and forth between the pitiful figure's. It took her a moment but suddenly Rin saw something mirrored in their faces. Although the figure called Emiya was emaciated and atrophied he had the same jaw line, the same cheekbones. Their eyes were twins of deep brown.

"This is..." She said, the horror of the situation stilling the words in her throat.

Shirou nodded, not taking his eyes off the coffin.

"I guess you could call him my genetic father. This is the original Shirou." He said.

"Oh god. Kotomine must have kept him locked up in here since he found him all those years ago. We have to help him!" Rin said. She was having trouble keeping track of the pronouns in her head but she clutched at 'her' Shirou's arm. He put an arm around her and pulled her close.

"You're right. There's...there's just one thing we can do for him." He said, moving towards the medical equipment hooked up to the pod.

Rin understood and nodded, tears welling in her eyes. Shirou quickly began switching machinery off, yanking cables and cracking panels whenever he came to a piece without an obvious switch. Without the benefit of life support Emiya's breathing became rapid and shallow. His eyelids fluttered and his cracked lips pulled up into a weak half smile of gratitude. His one remaining arm lifted and Shirou reached forward to take his hand.

He died.

Rin cried quietly into Shirou's shoulder for a moment and he held her close, staring over her head darkly at the still figure. Whatever violent, brooding thoughts were gathering in his mind he shook them off when he looked down at Rin. He kissed her quickly and they both backed away from the medical suite that was now a tomb.

"Let's go." Was all he said, but Rin could hear the anguish in his words. He had just killed the closest thing he had to a father. She nodded mutely and followed him as he once again led her through the twisting, turning labyrinth that was the underground complex.

At last they reached a rough cut section seemingly carved out of the unfinished rock and Shirou cast around until he found a small grate set into the floor. He wrenched it open and slipped through, holding out a hand for Rin to follow her. She found herself in a tunnel large enough to stand in but pitch black. She quickly summoned a small hovering light in the palm of her hand. The walls of the tunnel were corrugated circular piping. A thin stream of brackish water lay stagnant in the center of the pipe.

"Kotomine's outposts always have a drainage system. We're lucky he tied into the city storm drains and not the sewer." Shirou said. Rin could tell that he was trying to keep up a brave face. He wasn't doing a very good job.

"Wait. Just wait a moment." She said, leaving the ball of light hovering over her shoulder as she cupped his face in her hands.

"Talk to me. Tell me what just happened." She coaxed.

He reached up and rubbed a calloused thumb against the back of her hand as he held it to his cheek. His eyes closed as he gathered himself.

"I...I knew there was something different at this complex. Something that Kotomine was trying to keep secret from me. I just...I didn't...I mean he's _me. _Well, a version of me. What I might have been. I'm half Emiya, half Alpha, with Kotomine's twisted meddling grasping at my mind like..." He said, his voice rising in anger.

Rin silenced him with a kiss, pulling his lips down to hers. The storm drains were hardly the most romantic venue but he returned her kiss passionately.

"You're you. Nobody else." She said when they broke apart, reaching up to stroke a hand through his short hair.

"Now lets get out of here."

He smiled at her and took her hand. Together they set off through the tunnels.

As they traveled they discussed the war and Kotomine's plans in short whispers. With Alpha fully active and out collecting other Servants the war had taken on a new dimension of danger. Shirou suggested the possibility of recruiting all of the other masters to fight Alpha together but Rin thought that wouldn't be such a good idea. Saber, Lancer, and Rider were dead or captured. Shirou raised the half hearted suggestion that Rider might beat Alpha by himself and save them the trouble but they both discounted that out of hand. Berserker was missing, they had no idea who Assassin's master was, and Archer's master Sakura had some unknown grudge against Rin.

"Looks like we need to go have a chat with Ilya." Shirou said.

Rin blanched but covered her nervousness.

"Can we trust her? Her family told her to eliminate us. Well, eliminate me. I don't know if walking back into her fortress is such a good idea."

"Awww, c'mon. She's your friend, isn't she? Have a little faith. Now that she's had some time to simmer down I'm sure she'll give us a hand. Plus there's the whole 'end of the world' thing to deal with. Nothing brings people together like a world domination obsessed maniac." Shirou said, giving her a joking nudge.

Rin nudged him back and nodded.

"Maybe we could find Berserker too. If we could just _talk _to him maybe we could find out what's going on and convince him to help us." She said.

Shirou's face grew tense.

"Maybe sooner than later." He said.

Rin quirked an alarmed eyebrow.

"Didn't wanna worry you. But somebody's been following us for about half an hour, and I don't think it's sewer crocodiles." He said.

Rin stopped dead in her tracks.

"What?!" She hissed.

"Keep your voice down. There's _somebody _down here with us. Remember when we stopped back at that intersection? They stopped too, and they took the same turn as us. So they're obviously following us. But if they wanted to catch us they could have done that a while ago, so I don't think it's Kotomine or any of his goons. 'Sides, a big boy like Berserker makes kind of a ruckus when he clomps around. I'm pretty sure it's him." He said.

"We should confront him." She said, tapping a finger against her chin. "This may be our only chance."

"I dunno about that. What if he freaks out? Not a lot of room to run down here. Let's wait til we're closer to wherever this lets out, then jump him."

"Talk to him." Rin corrected firmly.

Shirou shrugged sheepishly and continued on. But a small thread of fear planted itself in Rin's mind. What would happen when they confronted Berserker? She knew that even with both of them they couldn't hope to best him. Even another Servant would have trouble with him alone, with the exception being Alpha.

As they walked Rin's fears began to mount, clawing at her and increasing upon themselves as the waiting began to gnaw on her nerves. The fear even manifested itself in her casting as the light she held dimmed imperceptibly. The corridor they walked through grew darker and darker as Rin's fear mounted, trying to escape her control like a massive skittering spider scrabbling at her mind.

With each dark branching intersection that they passed her anxiety grew. _What is wrong with me? _She wondered, trying to get a grip on the fear shooting through her. _It's Berserker, yes. And he's dangerous, yes. But we've faced danger like this before. And I know him. Why am I so _scared_?! Am I losing my grip on myself? _She wondered.

Shirou motioned her to stop and she froze.

"There's something there." He whispered, moving forward stealthily.

Rin's fear peaked as he left her side and she reached out for him in a panic. But even as he crept forward the rational part of her mind spoke to her. _You know what's happening. You recognize this feeling._ It said. And she did.

"Shirou, look out!" She shrieked.

But it was too late.

The darkness in front of him resolved into a spindly figure in a Victorian cloak. Rin fell backwards, landing in the brackish water with a splash. Now that she could recognize what she was feeling as Assassin's supernatural fear aura she managed to master herself a bit. But that didn't help in the slightest.

Shirou instantly blazed with magical power and Assassin pounced with his slippery servant agility. Shirou feinted right and then dodged left, trying to close the distance between them without exposing himself to attack. With a flourish and a nightmarish grin Assassin pulled a slender knife from some hidden place like magic. Shirou raised a hand to block but Assassin was just too fast.

He pounced forward and rammed the blade into Shirou's left eye.

Shirou bellowed in agony as the blow forced him to his knees. Blood spurted and ran down his face. Rin wasn't able to keep herself from screaming even as her muscles galvanized into action.

"You're mine!" Assassin cackled. He tore his knife free and let it clatter to the ground. Shirou slumped forwards but Assassin seized his head, clamping two spindly hands on either side of his face.

"Hell awaits you!" He sneered.

"NO!" Rin cried, dashing forward.

Shirou bellowed a long, drawn out cry of agony as Assassin unleashed his noble phantasm. He began to convulse, his muscles clenching and unclenching helplessly as bolts of pure, weaponized murder shot through his body. All over his skin a thousand tiny cuts began to manifest and deepen, his blood misting into a haze as his body began to disintegrate.

Rin did the only thing she could think of. She may have been able to come up with a better plan if Assassin's fear aura wasn't clawing at her mind, if she had more than an instant to make a decision. But all she could do was grab Shirou from behind in a hug and channel as much healing energy as she could into him. Cuts opened and healed as quickly as they manifested. Wounds tore along his body and then healed themselves just as fast. Only Rin's healing magic prevented his death, prolonging his suffering as he began a looping cycle of torture and rejuvenation.

Rin felt a brief spark of hope. She could keep Shirou alive for as long as her prana held out, the next couple of seconds at least. But if she took her hands off him, if she diverted her attention even in the slightest, he would be lost. His life balanced on the edge of a knife. And so ultimately they were both dead. Once Assassin was finished with Shirou Rin would be at his mercy and completely without prana. If she let go, if she saved her mana, she could save herself. But Shirou would die.

"No. No. Nonononono." She began to chant.

Assassin cackled again.

And then, against all odds, Rin heard someone splashing through the tunnel behind them. She cracked an eye open and looked over her shoulder. Berserker stood silhouetted against the darkness of the tunnel, his massive form looking cramped in the tiny space.

"They're mine!" Assassin snarled.

"Berserker! Help us!" Rin cried in desperation.

Berserker stayed where he was, still as a statue.

"Leave him." Berserker said. "Leave him! Let him die, it's the only way!" He roared.

"No! I can't. I won't!" Rin cried.

"It's the only way! Come with me now. Leave this place! Please...Rin..." Berserker entreated her.

Rin buried her face in Shirou's back. She could feel his muscles writhing in agony. She knew she couldn't leave him.

"NO! Help us or get the hell out of here! I won't leave him!" She raged. She knew her anger was pointless. She was seconds away from losing the last of her prana and being sliced to pieces by Assassin. She knew she wasn't being rational. But she was beyond rationality. She was in love with Shirou and she wasn't leaving his side.

Berserker hesitated for a long moment, torn. If he did nothing Shirou would die and his goal would be complete. But Rin would die as well and, really, there was only one thing he could do.

With a bellow of frustration he charged forward. Assassin hissed in surprise and rage. He tried to disentangle himself from Shirou but he wasn't fast enough. Like a striking viper Berserker's hand jumped forward and seized Assassin by the throat before he could retreat into the shadows. His eyes lolled and his tongue bulged from his mouth as Berserker squeezed. He scrabbled at the massive forearm pinning him down ineffectually.

Berserker gritted his teeth and gave an Assassin a shake like someone wringing out a wash rag. Rin could hear his neck snap like a bundle of twigs. But Berserker didn't know his own strength, and when he dropped Assassin's corpse it rolled away in two separate directions, the jaw flapping open and shut in a look of complete surprise as it rolled into the darkness.

Shirou collapsed into a boneless heap and Rin hurriedly turned him onto his back. He was unconscious but still alive. She gasped. His handsome face had been ravaged. Every square inch of his skin had been lacerated and re-healed instantly, over and over and over again. There wasn't one square inch of his skin that wasn't plastered with ropey scar tissue. But that wasn't why Rin gasped. The pattern of scarring roped over noble features, the strong jaw and heavy brow marred by angry red welts, the healed patch of twisted skin where his left eye had been. She was looking down into the face of Berserker.

She sat in shocked, mute confusion, cradling Shirou's head and looking back and forth between him and Berserker.

"You're...him." She said dumbly.

"Yes." Was all Berserker said. He sounded said, like he had failed at some task. And she supposed that he had, given that he had just saved Shirou's life, a man that he had been trying to kill up until moments ago.

Berserker turned and began to trudge into the darkness. Rin's head spun. Berserker was Shirou? How? Was he one of the clones? No, he couldn't be. The reason she recognized him was the identical scar patterns that they now shared. Not something that one of Kotomine's clones would have.

"Wai...Wait!" She called. Berserker paused and looked over his shoulder at her. His eyes looked tortured, hunted.

She gently slid Shirou's unconscious form to the ground and ran to Berserker. She spun him around to face her and he let her, dropping his eyes as she stared up into his face. Her eyes were questing, picking out the similarities between the two men. How could she have missed it before? He had the same intense look in his eyes, the same deep brow, the same square jaw. They were both men of honor, and duty. They both, she suddenly realized, had strong feelings for her.

"How?" She asked, her voice tremulous.

Berserker gave a chuckle that sounded more like a sob of despair.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." He said, turning away. Rin's grip on his arm tightened.

"You are the cloned hybrid of an ethereal spirit made flesh by a locus of magical power crossed via cloning and magic with a young human boy by a crazy mage bent on world domination. There really isn't a limit on what I'll believe about you." She said. She put as much steel as she could into her voice. Berserker hesitated. The gesture was so human. So like Shirou.

"I'm...from the future." He said matter of factly.

Rin gaped. Her first impulse was to challenge him, to disbelieve him. But she remembered what she had just said and she resolved to hear him out.

"So you know what's going to happen? You can help us! Why fight us?" She demanded.

"I can't tell you."

"Why try to kill Shirou?"

"I can't tell you."

"What is Kotomine planning?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why can't you tell me?"

"I can't tell you! I just...I can't! I don't know what would happen. What would be changed. I can't risk it. I can't lose you again!" Berserker burst out, gesturing wildly and pacing in the tunnel.

"I _wish _that I could tell you. I _wish_ that everything would be okay. I wish that you and I could just...I just...Aaargh!" He threw his hands up in frustration.

"You don't know what it's been like. Being so close to you. Not knowing. Not being able to..." He stopped himself, leaning a hand against the tunnel wall and breathing heavily.

When he turned back to Rin all of his gentleness and restraint had returned. The sadness in his eyes seemed like it had been multiplied.

"Rin, please. I...we..." He paused, his words hesitant. His fingers fiddled and he broke her gaze, looking down at his hands.

"He's in love with you." He said haltingly, and Rin couldn't tell through the scar tissue if he was blushing or not.

"Just...just take Shirou and go. Leave this place. Live your life. Staying here, staying to fight, it isn't worth it. I promise." He said sadly.

And then he was gone, ducked around the corner and running out of sight. Rin could hear his rapidly retreating footsteps. She felt emotionally drained. The terror and the sudden revelations were taking their toll on her. She knelt down beside Shirou again and gently lifted him, using the last of her magic to lighten his body so that she could carry him. His wounds were horrific but he would survive them. She hoped.


	31. Chapter 30

Somehow Rin got Shirou back to their little motel room. The blood slicking his body and clothing dried and began to flake away, leaving rust covered stains deep in the crannies of his scars. Rin lowered him onto the bed as gently as she could and tentatively checked to make sure that he was still breathing. His breath was labored and shallow but still coming steadily. Rin looked into his body with her third eye for any deep injuries that had penetrated into his core but didn't find any. Her healing had offset Assassin's phantasm enough to keep Shirou alive. There wasn't anything else she could do for him.

Still fighting off the draining effects of Assassin's fear aura and the mind shattering confusion of Berserker's revelation Rin forced her exhausted body into motion. Except for the shield that she had conjured to survive Saber's attack she had never channeled so much energy at one time. She felt just as exhausted as she had then. Although the position of the sun showed that it was still early afternoon Rin felt as if she had been running for days.

Her eyes were grainy and fatigue pulled at her shoulders like a blanked filled with lead. She shook her head and forced her back straight. Shirou groaned softly when she pushed him upright to get his shirt off and Rin let him fall back gently. Instead she used a small magical slice to split the hem of his t-shirt and gently tore it apart up the center to pull it off of him. She was too tired even to blush as she pulled off his pants.

She washed the blood off of him as best she could using a damp cloth from the small kitchenette and then laid the covers over him. His brow was still furrowed in pain and he was sweating profusely but his breathing seemed somewhat easier. Rin took his hand. Even helpless, broken, and unconscious he felt like a bastion of strength. Rin felt like the gentle pressure of his hand under hers was the only thing preventing her from flying apart.

She felt miserable and helpless. There wasn't anything that she could do except wait for him to regain consciousness. Everything was falling apart. Her falling out with Ilya, Berserker going rogue, Shirou on the brink of death. And now to find out that Berserker and Shirou were the same person? Not to mention the madman and his pet killing machine loose in the city. Rin's jaw clenched. Kotomine had to be stopped.

Exhaustion permeated her bones. Shirou's hand was rough and warm in her grip. She sat in a chair next to the bed, her head drooping as anxiety chased confusion and fear around the circus in her head. Eventually tiredness won out and little by little she fell asleep.

Rin was awakened by a subtle shifting movement against her cheek. She jerked upright with a start, for an instant forgetting where she was. The darkness of the room mirrored the darkness of that tunnel and a wave of panic washed over her. She mastered herself as a calming voice came from the darkness and she quickly remembered where she was. She had fallen asleep slumped forward over the bed, her cheek resting on Shirou's chest. His movements had wakened her.

"Rin?" He asked tentatively, one hand reaching forward through the darkness to caress her cheek.

Rin managed to hold her composure for several whole seconds before she broke down crying. She threw herself forward and flung her arms around Shirou's neck, showering his face with kisses and babbling about how worried she was. Shirou tensed in pain, his body still weak from the attack, but when Rin tried to pull back his arms encircled her and crushed her against his muscular chest. He returned her kisses so passionately that she was panting and breathless when at last she sank down beside him to rest her head on his shoulder.

They lay together in silence for a long, pleasant moment. Rin was nestled in the crook of Shirou's big arm, his fingers tangled in her long hair idly toying with a loose lock. At length Shirou shifted slightly, raising himself up on an elbow over her and looking deeply into Rin's eyes.

"Rin, there's something that I...ever since I met you it's been...you're the most..." He started stammering, his eyes falling shyly to the side. Rin felt her breathing speed up as Shirou gathered up his thoughts.

"Rin, I lo..." He began but she quickly put a finger against his lips.

"Shh!" She said and his eyes opened wide in surprise.

"I...I wanted to say it first." She said, half shyly and half petulantly.

Shirou laughed. It was the same deep, happy, musical laugh that Rin had fallen in love with in the first place.

"Together then." He said, grinning at her.

They both took a deep breath and stared into each others eyes.

"I love you." He said.

"I love you." She said.

It was so simple and so sweet. Neither of them made any speeches or long winded overtures. There were no romance movies or song lyrics quoted. They just told each other. Rin felt her whole body flush. She felt like she never had before. Although she projected the aura of an icy heiress she wasn't inhuman. When she was a girl she had precocious crushes on cute classmates and distant celebrities. But to feel something like this? To love Shirou and more, to know that he loved her as well? It was unlike anything she had known. He made her so happy. And knowing that she made him happy also made her happy. Both intermingling happinesses built on each other in an infinitely recurring, ever rising wave.

_So this is love._ She though.

Rin pulled Shirou down into a long kiss, guiding his hands over her. He was tentative at first, and then tender. She held him like someone drowning clings to a lifeline as she quaked against him, gasping. They slept in each others arms until morning.

When Rin awoke again it was an echo of her awakening the night before. She dimly became aware of a movement against her cheek that brought her into wakefulness, her head resting against Shirou's chest. This time there was no panic. No disorientation. Instead she just felt safe and warm and loved. It took her a moment to remember where she was. Everything was still the same. The world was still poised at the abyss that was Kotomine's bid for domination. But instead of afraid Rin was content. Instead of isolated and off balance she felt like her feet were planted on the ground for the first time in her life.

"Mmmmm. Morning." Shirou mumbled sleepily. Rin snuggled in closer to him, her arms around his waist. He kissed the top of her head and pushed himself up into a sitting position, wincing as he did so.

"Are you alright?" She asked, worry thick in her voice.

Shirou considered for a moment. He twisted this way and that, probed his ribcage and rapped a knuckle against his skull.

"Assassin sure did a number on me but I think I'm still in one piece. Hardly at 100% yet and I _definitely _won't be winning any beauty pageants. But not dead either, which is nice. You saved my life." He said, leaning forwards to give her a peck on the lips.

"Are _you_ alright?" He asked.

Rin blushed furiously.

"A little sore." She said honestly. "But in a good way."

Shirou blushed too but carried it with a grin. He threw the covers off and immediately pulled them back over himself.

"Oh. Uuuuh, I don't have any pants." He said.

"They were covered in blood. I threw them...over there." Rin said. She hadn't had time to throw them away, they were piled in the corner.

"But they're disgusting. You can't wear them."

"I gotta wear _somethin' _if we're gonna go stop Kotomine. What happened? I remember Assassin attacking. And you were there, you saved my bacon. And you were calling out to Berserker? Was he there? I dunno. I blacked out after that." He said, his face screwed up as he tried to remember.

Rin bit her lip nervously.

"He...he saved us. He told me that he was...well, maybe you should see for yourself." She said.

She helped Shirou up and slung one of his arms over her shoulder. She helped support him as he limped towards the small hotel bathroom. Shirou's eyes widened as he caught sight of himself and he staggered forward to lean on the counter. He turned his head this way and that, his expression distant as his gaze flickered over his features. He absently reached up a hand to touch where his left eye had been.

"_Definitely _not winning any beauty pageants." He said with a sad chuckle that turned into a sharp intake of air between clenched teeth. He winced and held onto his side.

"Wait a minute. I'm...holy cow! Rin, look at my face! I'm..." He said, leaning in toward her for effect.

"I know." She said.

"I'm Berserker! Spitting image. I look _exactly_ like him. Missing eye, scars, _everything!_" He leaned into the mirror and grimaced as he gave himself an inch by inch going over.

"I spoke with him briefly. He ran again, but before he did he told me that he _is _you...but from the future." She said.

Shirou gaped at her.

"That doesn't make any sense. Well, less sense than the alternative. I mean, there's a whole passel of me runnin' around. I'm probably the most cloned person in history. You think it's more likely that he's from the _future_ and not just some clone or copy?" He said.

Rin shook her head.

"I've thought about that. What makes you identical to Berserker? It's the scars. Genetically you're identical to Kotomine's other creations but scars are external. In fact if you got cloned now even after you were injured the clone wouldn't be scarred or have any other markings. So he _has_ to be you. A version of you, at least. Even if the exact same thing happened to one of the other clones their scar tissue patterns would be different from yours. It's like a fingerprint."

Shirou's shoulders slumped and he rested his forehead against the glass.

"Ugh. All this talk of clones and copies is depressing. I mean, everybody wants to be unique, right? Now I know that not only am I just one in a long line of identical million-tuplets, there's _another_ version of me running around out there. And trying to kill me, no less." He said with a sigh.

Rin turned him around sternly and shook her finger under his nose.

"Oh, don't give me any of that! I'm in love with _you._ Not some clone or copy. Because of the man you are, not because of your genes." She scolded.

Shirou grinned and reeled her into a hug, planting a kiss on her forehead before heading back out into the front room with his arm over her shoulder.

"You always make everything better, you know that? Still, it's gotta be rough for the poor guy. I mean, if he's me from the future does he feel the way about you that I do? To be so in love with somebody and lose them to someone else, a version of yourself no less. That can't be fun." He mused.

Rin blushed and squeezed Shirou a little tighter.

"Only you would worry about Berserker's feelings at a time like this. He tried to kill you, remember?" She said.

Shirou shrugged.

"It's tough to hold it against him. If I was standing in the way of being with you I might try to kill me too. Him. We. I mean _he_ might...eh, pronouns are confusing and time travel makes my brain hurt." He said with a chuckle.

Rin's brow furrowed.

"That's just the thing. I _know_ you. You would never try to hurt anyone for a petty reason like jealousy. If he really is you there has to be more to the story." She said.

Shirou considered for a long moment. He sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled the blanket around himself modestly, resting one elbow on a knee and his chin in his palm.

"I think we're gonna need to track him down and have a chat with him." He said at length.

Rin fidgeted nervously.

"We...may need to ask Ilya for help. Between my link with Berserker and her magical tracking system we should be able to find him." She said.

Shirou laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"She's your friend, Rin. That's never gonna change. So there's some drama with her family. So what? _She's _your friend, not whatever stodgy old codger runs her house. I'm sure you two will make up in no time flat." He said with one of his signature grins.

Rin sat down and leaned up against Shirou's shoulder.

"I wish it was that simple. But mage politics can be complicated. There's no guaranteeing that she would even agree to see us." She said.

Shirou draped an arm around her and gave her a little squeeze.

"You worry too much. We'll just go see her. It'll be fine, I promise." He said.

Rin rested against him for several long minutes before pushing herself up.

"Well! We aren't getting much done if we mope around here all day, are we? I'll run out and buy some clothes for you. Then we can get down to work." She said brightly.

Shirou smiled at her and gave her a peck on the cheek as she left. Her heart sang and she felt a spring in her step as she made her way down the sidewalk. Even the deeply overcast skies could do nothing to dull her good mood.

Across the road from their motel a tall man with copper skin and shoulder length black hair worked through with beads and feathers crouched below the edge of a rooftop. His eyes followed Rin as she made her way along the street, a steely gaze fixated on her back until she rounded the corner. The tall man stood and shouldered the long wooden bow that he held as he made his way to inform his master what he had seen.

Rin remained oblivious to her hidden observer as she made her way to a small clothing shop that she had spotted several blocks from the motel. She made her best guess about Shirou's sizes and grabbed him a pair of jeans and several long sleeved t-shirts. She also realized that all of her own clothing was still at Ilya's mansion. Everything she was currently wearing had been dragged through rubble, heavy combat, and the sewer system. She was hardly a rose.

With her nose wrinkled in sudden realization of her own condition she also picked out a skirt and a red sweater. They didn't have anything like the thigh socks that she knew Shirou liked so she settled on some cheap nylons instead.

While she was shopping she failed to notice the long dark sedan that glided to a halt in front of the clothing shop, or the twin figures that emerged from it. One was tall and dark, the same red skinned warrior that had shadowed her from the motel. The other was almost eerily pale with feral eyes that contrasted with her well groomed appearance.

Rin failed to notice them until the front of the store exploded inwards.

There was a chorus of screams as the sparsely scattered shoppers ducked down. Shards of glass and shattered masonry pelted through the air. The force of the blast carried Rin off her feet and sent her sprawling. She scrambled backwards through an aisle of plaid shirts and desperately looked for cover. The magical aura radiating from the store front told her that her aggressor was a mage and so she resisted the urge to cast spells. As soon as she did the prana expenditure would give away her position.

She scrambled to a hiding place with her back against a row of shelves and peeked around them. There were moans and cries from injured people who had been caught in the blast. Sakura Matou and her servant Archer stood silhouetted in the broken front of the store.

Rin hissed a curse. How had they found her?

"Tohsaka Rin! Come out and face me!" Sakura shrieked.

Rin's mind raced. Was there a back door? Some way to sneak out? The only way out was directly past Sakura and Archer. Rin had seen Sakura fight. She was powerful, but Rin was confident that she could hold her own. Maybe she wouldn't win, but Rin would at least be able to escape. But with Archer there? Nobody in the world stood a chance unless they had a Servant of their own.

Rin pushed herself up to her feet and forced her shaking hands to still themselves. Her mind raced as she cast around desperately for a way to escape, or at least to buy herself some time.

"If you want a meeting it would be more convenient if you'd make an appointment." She said, forcing all her natural haughtiness and command into her voice.

She began weaving a counterspell, dropping all pretenses at stealth as she prepared to defend herself. She was the proud, powerful heir of one of the most influential magical families in the world. She would not allow herself to be bullied or intimidated.

Sakura's face suffused with rage and Rin felt a sudden swell of magical power emanate from her. As it had before a dark shadow began to creep down from her temples. Spidery veins of black corruption encroached on her pale skin like angry cuts that pulsed with dark power. Her irises deepened from a bright and alluring violet to a menacing red.

"Don't toy with me, Rin. You have no idea what they did to me. You, you stayed with father. You were raised in privilege and wealth and comfort. Me...LOOK AT ME!" She shrieked.

Rin's eyes widened but she had only an instant to react as Sakura unleashed a bolt of dark energy at her. Rin dove to her left. The beam was too big to avoid completely but she managed to throw up a shield spell that angled the bulk of the blast away from her. The instant that Sakura's spell touched her own her hackles rose and goosebumps popped out all over her flesh. Something about Sakura's prana was tainted, oily, like trying to grasp something slippery and insidious.

She rolled to her feet and began charging another shield spell, confusion warring with adrenaline in her mind.

"What are you talking about! That's the second time you've claimed some sort of misguided grudge against me but I've never seen you before in my life!" Rin demanded.

Sakura's expression slackened and a brief look of confusion shot across her face.

"They...our father never told you about me? No...No! You have to have known. You left me there in hell!" She said, her face hardening in anger and denial.

Again she lashed out and again Rin managed to dodge by the barest fraction. This time it was as much shock as the suddenness of the attack that froze her in her tracks.

"Our...father? What are you talking about?" Rin asked, uncertainty quavering through her voice.

Sakura's expression twisted into a cruel smile.

"You really don't know? We are sisters, you and I. You lived the life that I should have lived. They loved you. Comforted you. Mine was a life of torture. Pain. Vi...violation." Sakura's eyes fell and she hugged her arms around herself, the agony of her past suffusing itself across her face.

"That's impossible. Fath...my father was a good man. He would never have abandoned anybody!" Rin said, but the thread of uncertainty was there. Could Sakura really be her sister? Genjo would know. Rin would ask him. If she survived.

"Maybe Tokiomi wasn't the saint that you thought he was." Sakura said, regaining her composure as bitterness seeped back into her words.

"But one way or the other, your life is mine now."

Rin didn't have time to respond as she blocked another of Sakura's dark mana bolts. _How can she be so powerful? _She wondered. But the burning question clawing at her mind was: _Can it be true? Is she my sister?_

She dove out of sight behind a toppled rack of clothes and stared wildly around for a way out of the situation. Sakura was mad or lying or mistaken. Or she was right and still had a vendetta for Rin's blood. Either way there was no talking her way out of the situation. There was only one thing to do. She would have to launch an all out magical attack, force Sakura to defend herself. If Archer blocked the spell it might give her an opening to escape. But then what? On foot Archer would run her down easier than someone picking up a babe. Oh well, she'd have to cross that bridge when she came to it.

Rin was just steeling herself to make a dash for the door when she felt a sudden burst of grail energy from just outside the shop. A second servant was attacking Archer!

_A rescue? _She wondered frantically. _It has to be..._

"Berse..." Rin jumped up with a shout but her words faded in her throat.

Archer was standing between Sakura and their new assailant, his twin tomahawks in his hands.

There in the street towered the twisted, glittering form of Alpha.

Rin gaped in horror but Sakura didn't recognize the new threat.

"What are you supposed to be?" She demanded, her eyes flittering over his grotesque body, taking in the twisted amalgamation of flesh and metal.

Alpha simply stared at her through his one flesh and blood eye and his one glowing prosthetic.

"Identity c-c-onfirmed. Matou Sakura. Dark Grail shard. Directive: Subdue and retrieve." He half stated, half mumbled in his grating mechanical monotone.

Sakura snorted and gestured Archer forward offhandedly.

"Subdue? You may have misjudged who you're dealing with, monster." She said.

Archer sprang into action and for an instant Rin held out the brief hope that he would be able to beat Alpha. He moved with all his sinuous grace, ducking in under the unarmed abomination's guard and slashing at his mid section with both axes. But Alpha move like nothing Rin had ever seen. As fast as Lancer. As fast as Berserker in the grips of his madness.

He twisted around the blow like water flowing around a boulder, a motion that brought him chest to chest with Archer. He slammed a palm flat into Archer's breast and there was a crack like thunder as flesh collided with steel. Archer was whipped backwards like a rag doll, crashing through the rear wall of the shop. Rin scrambled out of the way as Alpha followed up his attack with a wave of his hand. Again the air near him shimmered and a streak of red shot through to follow his pointing finger. It blazed into the cloud of dust that Archer had raised and Rin heard a meaty thunk as it hit home.

"Tecumseh!" Sakura shrieked, dashing past Rin to her Servant's side.

The dust cleared quickly and Rin saw Archer pinned to the wall by a blood red spear that transfixed him through the center of his chest. Sakura rushed to him just as he pulled himself away from the wall, the spear still running all the way through his body. She cupped his face in her hands, a tender gesture that Rin found surprising coming from the vengeful mage.

"Don't die! You know what to do." She said.

Rin detected another burst of grail energy emanating from Archer and she quickly scanned him with her grail vision.

CLASS: Archer

TRUE NAME: Tecumseh

NOBLE PHANTASM: Unbroken Spirit

TYPE: Barrier Phantasm

DESCRIPTION: The Archer is able to temporarily shrug off the effects of injuries. The Archer is completely immune to damage for the duration of the effect, although wounds will still accumulate. As the phantasm ends all wounds suffered while under its effects are inflicted on the recipient.

Archer staggered a step away from the wall and then straightened, the look of pain vanishing from his face. He casually reached down and drew the spear out of his chest, dropping it to the ground with a clatter. It made a sucking noise as it pulled out past his lungs and left a fist sized hole gaping in his chest. He ignored it.

"Yes, Master." He said, firming up his grip on his weapons and charging.

Alpha whipped his hands forward again and two more ornate, legendary weapons shot forward out of the air near him. A gilded trident missed, a long rapier with an ornate braided handle pierced Archer through the thigh. He moved as if the wound wasn't even there. Once again the air rippled but instead of shooting the weapon like a projectile Alpha plucked an golden sword from it.

He still moved with that disconcerting speed remarkable even for a Servant, but this time the fight was different. Instead of maneuvering for position and trying to maximize his defense while striking tactically Archer simply charged directly in and began hacking at Alpha's head and chest with his tomahawks. Alpha hit him easily, stabbing him again and again through the stomach and chest. But the wounds meant next to nothing to Archer. Without giving any though to his own defense and simply ignoring the horrific wounds he was sustaining he launched an all out offense against Alpha.

And, slowly, his strategy began to pay off. Alpha took one step back, and then another. His energy went from capitalizing on Archer's open defense to fending off his attacks. Fewer and fewer strikes were aimed at Archer and more and more were defensive blocks and parries. Could this be it? Could someone actually beat Alpha? Rin would be in trouble no matter who won. But the thought that somebody could beat Kotomine's secret weapon filled Rin with a kind of manic, desperate hope.

A hope that was dashed by a particularly vicious slice from Alpha. It knocked Archer off balance and opened up a small space between them. For the first time Rin saw a glimmer of emotion light Alpha's dead eyes. Was that the barest hint of sardonic amusement? As if the entire fight was some massively entertaining diversion.

"You fight...w-ell." He said in his halting mechanical voice.

"But you're still just...a...mongrel!" He said, punctuating his words with a mirthless mechanical laugh.

He spread his arms wide, opening himself to attack. Archer didn't miss the opportunity. He charged forward one last time, his blades angled to sink into Alpha's neck.

And then the air began to ripple. Not a single spot the size a hand like it had before, just large enough for a weapon to pass through. A dozen spots like ripples in a pond, then two dozen, then too many to count. The air surrounding Archer looked like he was being viewed from under water. From behind him a sword shot forward and pierced him through the shoulder, but he kept charging. A long spear with a T shaped cross grip stabbed into his calf. A two handed broadsword scythed through his midsection and pinned him to the ground. Weapons shot forward like a hailstorm of blades, each more varied and fantastical than the last.

Archer snarled and tried to push himself up, the blade transfixing his belly sliding through him and leaving a crimson smear on the blade. He was forced back down as weapon after weapon pounded into his back. He looked like a pincushion, a man sized hill of swords. His noble phantasm rendered him immune to damage, so Alpha simply shredded his body until there was nothing left of it.

_How long can he keep this up?_ Rin wondered. But her curiosity was short lived. There was a burst of grail energy as Archer's phantasm ended.

"No!" Sakura cried out, falling to her knees and reaching futilely towards where Archer lay, his body completely obscured by fallen swords. There was a sound like a dam breaking and a rush of blood exploded outwards from the pile as the ability ended and Archer's body disintegrated completely.

Sakura began quietly sobbing and Rin looked for a way to escape when Alpha froze her in her tracks with a glance. His dispassionate gaze flicked between her and Sakura. Rin quickly calculated her odds of surviving. She readied a spell. At least she wouldn't die without a fight.

But to her surprise Alpha turned away from her and stalked towards Sakura.

"Damn you! Damn you! Damn you!" She screamed, channeling a massive blast of dark energy forward. It was massive, the most powerful spell that Rin had seen her cast yet. She channeled into it all her fury and all her hatred, the crackling bolt enveloping Alpha like a tsunami.

He didn't dodge, or block the attack, or try to evade. He didn't bother. The terrifyingly powerful bolt of energy crashed against him, crackled, scorched the air and the ground. When the writhing energy dissipated Alpha stood exactly where he had before. He was completely unharmed.

"You. Grail...shard. You are r-e-quired." He intoned. He took an ominous step forward and Rin threw up the most powerful shield spell she could between him an Sakura.

"Oh no you don't. We've still got things to discuss." She said through gritted teeth.

Alpha's gaze shifted to her and she felt her blood turn to ice.

"You. Tohsaka magus. You are...irrelevant." He said.

He drew back his cybernetically enhanced fist and Rin felt a burst of energy surge through him. He took a short step forward and rammed the fist into her shield hard enough to shatter the reinforced mana barrier like it was made of glass. Rin cried out and fell to her knees as the backlash of the connection being severed hit her. Her vision blanked for a moment and when it slowly returned Alpha was standing in front of Sakura, one hand clutching her throat. Her fingers feebly scrabbled against his metal grip.

"No, don't..." Rin said, reaching forward feebly.

Alpha reached across and backhanded Sakura hard enough to knock her sprawling and send her spiraling into unconscious. Rin winced in sympathetic pain but was unable to intervene as Alpha bent and slung her limp body over his shoulder. He didn't spare Rin a glance as he stalked out.

She watched his back as he marched out of the rubble that remained of the shop and leaped over a nearby building with a single easy bound. He was gone.


	32. Chapter 31

"Put these on." Rin said as she marched into the small motel room, throwing a bundle of clothing into Shirou's chest.

His customary grin faded to a questing expression as he saw how agitated she was.

"What gives? Are you alright?" He asked, his voice heavy with concern as she brushed past him into the bathroom. She could hear him pulling on his pants and hopping after her on one leg.

"I'm fine, but I just got attacked by Alpha." She said angrily.

There was a heavy thump from the bedroom and Rin whirled around. Shirou had toppled over in shock, one leg half in his jeans, a poleaxed expression on his face. He quickly struggled into his pants and jumped up, quickly moving to Rin. He took her face in his hands and anxiously looked her over, brushing some clinging rubble out of her hair and insisting that she spin around so he could make sure she was okay.

"Alpha?! Are sure you're okay? I saw him take down a full blown servant with no trouble at all. How did you get away?" He asked.

"Maybe I'm more resourceful than you give me credit for? Besides, he wasn't after me. I guess I should back up. I got attacked by Sakura first. She..."

"That blue haired chick from the church? Do you know her?" Shirou broke in.

"Yes. Don't interrupt." She said sternly. Shirou looked appropriately cowed and she quickly explained what had happened, the hinted revaluations that Sakura had made.

"Your sister? You never told me you had a sister." Shirou said wonderingly when she finished.

"I didn't _know_ that I had a sister! She could have been lying for all I know. I need some answers." She replied.

Rin turned away from Shirou and marched into the bathroom. One wall was dominated by a large mirror and she pursed her lips in annoyance. She had no candles, no pre-established link, and the mirror was large enough to take two or three times as much prana to activate as the spell really needed. But Rin was too upset to delay her inquest by the time it would take to gather the necessary materials and so she simply began to brute-force a magical overlay onto the glass.

"What are you..." Shirou began.

"Hush." Rin said irately. She wasn't angry at him but at the situation had her on the ragged edge.

He huffed and leaned a shoulder up against the door jamb as he watched, his arms crossed petulantly. Rin concentrated and the edges of the mirror began to ripple and shimmer as if in a heat wave. Rin held in her mind the image of the pre-enchanted mirror in the library of the Tohsaka estate. She reached across the intervening distance, took a firm hold on the magical strands that enchanted it, and wrenched them forwards to meet similar strands that she wove into the fabric of the bathroom mirror. There was a sound like cracking glass although no cracks appeared and then a deep settling hum that gradually faded away.

"Rin? Rin, is that you?" Her reflection in the mirror asked. Her face took on an expression of curious concern and behind her she heard Shirou slip sideways and bump his head against the doorjamb in surprise.

"Genjo?"

"Yes, it's me." Came the voice of the elderly record keeper. Rin's expression in the mirror was quizzical with a hint of concern.

Rin took a deep breath.

"What can you tell me about Sakura Matou?" She said firmly.

In the mirror her reflection's eyes widened.

"Why...do you ask?" Genjo probed.

Rin's expression hardened.

"Don't play games with me, Genjo. You know something. Tell me." She said.

She held her own gaze for a long moment. Her eyes were harsh, intent. Her eyes in the mirror were questing. Silence reigned for a long moment and then Genjo sighed and Rin saw his shoulders droop.

"Very well." He said. His voice sounded tired, beaten.

"Years ago, when you were very young, your family was larger than you remember it to be. Sakura...She is..." He began.

"My sister." Rin finished.

Genjo nodded his head sadly, the gesture heavy with regret.

"Yes. Your father...he had no choice but to strike a deal with Matou. They wanted an heir but had none of their own. It isn't common practice, but occasionally a powerful mage family with two heirs will send one away to train while the other stays and is groomed to take over. Sakura went to the Matous, and you stayed with your father." He said.

Rin felt her fists clench.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She said through gritted teeth.

"Your father always intended to tell you of your sister but he passed before you were old enough. The Matou's hid Sakura away. Part of their agreement was that we keep her existence secret."

"You didn't tell me about my own sister!" Rin raged. She slammed a fist against the mirror. It was only providence that kept her from breaking it.

"They hurt her, Genjo! Tortured her! For years!" With each word she rammed her fist forward.

"Rin, calm down. I wanted to tell you, truly I did. You have to understand that the politics..."

"POLITICS! Don't give me that! You lied to me! You abandoned her! You let them take her!"

Wham, wham, wham.

Then, at last, the inevitable happened. Rin drew her fist back one more time and slammed it forward. The mirror shattered. Spidery cracks skittered out and there was a sudden dispersal of magical energy as the spell ended, cutting off Genjo in mid sentence. Blood oozed from Rin's knuckles and she collapsed to her knees on the cheap hotel room linoleum.

She felt hot tears stinging at her eyes. She didn't know Sakura. Hadn't grown up with her. She wondered what hurt more, the feeling of betrayal or the revelation that she had a sister who had been systematically abused for years. She felt guilty and awful. There was only one thing in the world that could lessen the sting.

Shirou seemed to sense his cue and moved forward. He sunk down behind Rin and gathered her into his arms, hugging her close and resting his chin on her shoulder.

"I don't think I understand what just happened." He said softly into her ear. Rin waited for him to ask the inevitable questions, to push farther, to force her to explain uncomfortable truths. But he didn't. He just held her there on the bathroom floor in the middle of a halo of broken glass.

Eventually his concern mounted and he pulled her to her feet, gingerly pulling her into the main room and away from the broken mirror. The blood seeping from her lacerated knuckles had slowed to a trickle. Shirou washed away the dried blood and tenderly bandaged her hand while she sniffled a bit and dried her eyes.

"Okay then. What's the plan?" He asked at last when she'd had a chance to calm down.

Rin scrubbed a hand across her eyes. They were steely when she opened them.

"We're going to find Kotomine and put a stop to his plans. Now. No more investigation. No more side stepping around the problem. We end this today." She said.

Shirou nodded grimly.

"Look, I know it may be a little awkward, but we'll need the help. We should go see Ilya. Having Caster on our side would go a long way towards coming out of this thing in one piece." He said.

Rin hesitated for a long moment but in the end she nodded hesitantly. Ilya had a few days to calm down. What Shirou said the other day was right, Ilya was her friend no matter what their families said. At least, Rin hoped she was.

It took them a couple of minutes to get things situated and head out. Shirou bandaged up her hand and pulled on the clothes that she'd gotten him while Rin cleaned herself up a bit in the largest fragment of mirror that she could find. They held hands as they walked and Rin tried to work through what she was feeling. She knew that she was scared. Kotomine had one of the most powerful magical resources on the planet at his disposal. He was a very powerful mage in his own right, he was clever and powerful and had been preparing for years.

She was also scared of talking to Ilya. Even with Shirou's assurances she didn't know how her friend would react. It wasn't just that their families pitted them against each other. Rin knew that Ilya had feelings for Shirou. Caster had called it nothing more than a frivolous crush, but who could know what was really in Ilya's heart?

Her grip tightened on Shirou's and he gave her hand a squeeze. She looked up at him. She _was _scared. She was terrified. She had this gut feeling that the conflict was coming to a head. She felt like she was helpless on a bullet train rocketing towards destruction, unable to veer it off its course.

Where did Berzerker fit in? She knew now why he had feelings for her. He _was _Shirou. What would happen when the war was over? Would he cease to exist? Caster had suggested otherwise when he revealed that he had a physical body, not a grail construct like a typical Servant. How did Rin feel about that? He had saved her life countless times. He was wise and kind and strong. What was the reason for his obsession with killing Shirou? Surely it couldn't be simple jealousy. She knew that something so petty would never drive Shirou to kill. If only she could just _talk _to him.

Rin was absorbed in her own thoughts when she felt Shirou's hand stiffen on hers. Her head jerked up and she immediately saw what had caused him to tense. The ugly black smear of a smoke plume squatted low over the houses, wafting upwards from some calamity hidden from view by back yard fences and greenery. Before Rin could say a word Shirou was running. She held onto him for dear life and he pulled her urgently behind him. His body radiated power but he slowed himself enough that Rin was able to keep up without too much trouble.

Her heart was pounding in her chest as they rounded the corner but sank to the soles of her feet at the sight that unfolded in front of her.

The Von Einsbern mansion was a ruined, smoking mess. Most of the east wall had been completely demolished. Rubble and fallen timbers littered the yard and the still smoking remains of the study smouldered and threatened to send the whole place up in a blaze.

"Oh no. No no no." Shirou said. He dropped Rin's hand and sprinted forward, his arms and legs pumping to a blur as he moved. Rin followed as fast as she could.

"Ilya! Caster! Melva!" She cried at the top of her lungs, her eyes darting frantically over the rubble.

"Over here!" She heard Shirou's voice from inside the smoking ruin and made her way towards him as fast as she could navigate the wreckage.

She arrived panting. Shirou was kneeling over the plump brown body of Melva the cook. She was so matronly and wise, now her eyes were glassy in death. Shirou closed them respectfully and laid her gently on the ground.

"What...what happened here?" He said soberly. His face was a mask but Rin could see the suffering pulling at the edges.

"It must have been..." She began but was interrupted by a sound behind her.

She whirled as it came again, a low moaning sound coming from a nearby pile of rubble. In an instant Shirou was there. He blazed with power as he tossed a heavy beam aside like a toy and dove in. He gingerly extracted the bloody, crushed form of Caster. The aged servant wasn't clad in his modern civilian clothing but in the plain white robe that was his natural garb. The snowy material was stained with ash and blood, bright red deepening to black as it soaked in his numerous wounds. He was riven with deep stab wounds and his hands clutched at a deep tear in his stomach. His breathing came in short gasps and the blood loss left his wrinkled old face as pale as his robe.

Shirou gently set him with his back against the remains of a wall. He tried to pull his hands away from the wound but Caster waved him off weakly.

"No...don't. It's...it's much too late for that." He said, his head lolling deliriously.

"Just water. Just some water. Please." He said.

Shirou bit his lip, his features tortured.

"I...I can't. You have a gut wound. If I give you water it will only..." He trailed off.

Caster coughed weakly and shook his head.

"It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter." He said.

"What happened?" Rin asked tersely, kneeling down next to Caster and probing at his wounds with her third eye. He was on the cusp of death. If Rin had more time maybe she could heal him. But as it was his body was simply too broken to be repaired.

Caster's eyes swam in and out of focus for a moment and then snapped to Rin's face. He coughed and blood flecked his lips. He reached out a grasping hand slick with his own blood and caught Rin by the collar, holding on to her like a drowning man clinging to a raft.

"It was marvelous." He wheezed.

"A warrior so powerful I could hardly look at him. A rain of swords like a tsunami of steel." He said, his eyes glassy.

"Ilya. What happened to Ilya." Shirou reminded gently but insistently.

Caster's eyes re-focused and a look of panic crossed his face.

"Have to...save her! He took her. Like she was a babe. He said nothing, but he called her...called her 'Grail Shard'. Talked about her like...like she was an object. He...he took her to...he took her..." He coughed and more blood bubbled up through his lips. A spasm of agony stopped his words and Shirou put up a hand.

"Shh, don't talk. We'll get you all patched up and..."

But Caster gritted his teeth and shook his head.

"No. Too late for that. Not enough...heh heh...not enough time. One more thing to do. Just one...more...promise...to...keep." He said, his words slowed and Rin felt his heartbeat ebbing.

And then, in a flash of fiery intensity, his eyes locked onto hers. Rin felt a sudden wrenching pressure exude from him in a magical torrent. There was a twang like a guitar string tightened until it broke and then, in the blink of an eye, Caster vanished.

Shirou started and looked around, suddenly on his guard for an attack. When nothing assaulted them he turned back to Rin.

"What the heck just happened?" He said, his voice full of confusion and anger.

"A Servant's body is comprised of Grail energy. When he dies he returns to the space between spaces, the place where legends go to rest." Rin said.

"Nuh uh." Shirou said, his brow furrowed.

"He said so himself, remember? He's like Berserker. His body is real, as in it actually physically exists. Some loophole with the summoning process, right? Doesn't that mean his body would stay here when he dies?" He said.

Rin's eyes widened.

"You're right. But then...he must have been wrong. Or maybe he lied to us, although I don't know why he would. Maybe he was pulled back to the realm of spirits, physical body and all." She said, still in shock.

"Whatever the case is, one thing is clear. We're out of time. No more extensions, no more waiting, or maneuvering, or picking the right time to strike. He's got Ilya. And he's got that Sakura person. Your maybe-sister. We are gonna go to that lab _right now_ and put an end to this. One way or another." Shirou said.

He stood silhouetted against the sky, framed by the smoldering rubble of Ilya's mansion. Caster's blood smeared the front of his shirt. His deep, grooved scars carved hills and valleys of shadow over his face. His fists were clenched, his back straight, his feet apart. The look of absolute dermination in his eye made Rin think that maybe, possibly, somehow they could come out of this in one piece.

But then, she knew that was ridiculous. She knew what they were up against. She knew what powers Kotomine commanded. She knew how limited their own resources were. She knew that if they faced Kotomine the only outcome could be defeat and death.

But just as surely as she knew they couldn't win she also knew that Shirou would fight anyway. And just as surely as she knew that Shirou would fight she knew that she would never leave his side.

"Okay then." She said. Rin heard in her own words the same grim determination that she saw mirrored on Shirou's face.

He held her gaze for a long moment, his eyes intense. At last he nodded and pulled her forward for a quick kiss.

"I'm going to see if the garage is still intact." He said.

Rin nodded but didn't follow him. Instead she made her way deeper into the wreckage, past the demolished eastern section and towards where her guest room had been. The room was in disarray but mostly intact. She thanked the stars and began shifting through the splintered furniture until she found the attache case that she had brought with her from Japan. She opened it with baited breath and felt a slow grin spread across her features. Her mana gems were still inside it.

Here was her ace in the hole, a magical stockpile that she had been building up since she was a young girl. They wouldn't increase her power per spell, but they would let her cast continuously without running out of mana. It just might be the edge that they needed to come out of this thing in one piece.

With the case tucked under her arm she made her way back downstairs where she heard the sounds of mechanical clattering coming from the garage. She arrived just as Shirou slammed the hood on one of the project cars and jumped into the driver's seat. He twisted the key and it turned over begrudgingly, sputtering to life and then roaring as he let out the choke.

He grinned at her over the steering wheel.

"Well, I couldn't get the motorcycle workin'. It seems to me like the proper thing to do for the final showdown is arrive on a motorcycle. I guess this will have to do instead." He said over the roar of the engine. He leaned over and pushed the passenger side door open for her as Rin slid into the seat next to him. She rolled her eyes.

"Your sense of theatrics can wait. Let's just get there and get this thing done." She said, trying to put more confidence into her words than she felt.

Shirou seemed to catch her tone and sobered. He nodded, some of the grim determination creeping back into his manner

"One way or another. This ends today." He said.

He revved the engine and then sped down the driveway. The traffic lines looked like a countdown to the inevitable, a fuse disappearing beneath the car as the wheels ate up the road. The buildings ripping past made Rin feel disconnected. The sense of finality that settled in her breast terrified her. She glanced over at Shirou to steady her nerves. Just seeing him in the seat next to her reassured her. She wanted him to hold her, to tell her that it would all be alright. But she knew that their mission had to come first.

Rin glanced away for an instant and was slammed against her seat belt when Shirou stomped on the brakes. The car skidded to a halt, the acrid tang of burning rubber filled Rin's nostrils.

There was a figure standing in the road. The car skidded and slid, squealing to a halt just inches from the figures shins. He didn't move an inch.

Without looking Rin knew who it would be. Who it had to be.

Berserker put his hands on the hood and leaned over the windshield.

Shirou gritted his teeth and threw the car into park, jumping out and dropping into a fighting crouch. He held his fists in front of him and grimly circled.

"So. This is it, huh? You or me, big guy." He said darkly.

Rin was about to throw herself between them when Berserker raised hands non threateningly.

"I'm not here to fight you." He said.

_God, how could I have missed it?_ Rin thought, watching the two men stare each other down. They were so alike. Their scars, their voices, but most of all their eyes, deep and intense.

"What, then?" Shirou asked suspiciously, still on his guard.

Berserker stayed quiet, his brow furrowed as he searched for words.

"I'm you." He said at last. "But I'm from the future. I know what's coming. I know what happens next. I thought the only way to stop it...to stop _us, _was to kill you. To erase any possibility of you becoming...me. But now I'm just here to ask. Just to ask you." He said, his words halting.

"Ask me what?" Shirou said, his guard dropping slightly. Rin moved to stand beside him. Berserker's eyes darted between them.

"Just...go. Take Rin. Leave this place. Get as far away from here as possible and never look back." He said.

Shirou folded his arms.

"You're me, right? Then you know why I can't do that." He said flatly.

Berserker pinched his nose in frustration and paced up and down in front of the car.

"You can! You can do that!" He said urgenly. "I _know_ you! I _am_ you! All you...all our lives we thought we had to do the right thing. To atone for all the awful things I did when I was Kotomine's creature. To stop him! To set things right!" He chopped his hand into his palm to emphasize his point.

"Then you know why I have to do this!" Shirou said, his voice rising.

Berserker grabbed Shirou by the shoulders and shook him. Rin reached forward but Berserker didn't look like he intended to hurt anybody.

"No! Think! Things have changed. Everything is different now. Maybe...maybe before we had no choice. But now..."

He trailed off miserably and his eyes locked on Rin. His gaze was intense and she could feel heat rising in her face. Berserker's eyes were questing, seeking. The moment stretched until Rin thought she couldn't bear it any longer. And then Berserker seemed to come to a decision. His eyes fell, his expression turned to bitter sorrow.

"I...We..." He began to speak but the words caught in his throat. He dropped his hands to his side and turned away from Shirou and Rin.

"You love her. Right?" He said over his shoulder, his voice hollow. Rin didn't know what those words cost him.

"I do." Shirou said gravely.

"Then your life is no longer about atonement, or vengeance, or justice. You have something...someone else now. She gives you one option that you never had before. The one thing that Emiya wanted for you more than anything else. The one thing that you can do now that you have her."

He turned back and took a step forwards. His eyes flashed fire.

"You can _go and live your life._"

Shirou looked stunned. He looked like a lightning bolt had opened up his mind. He looked like suddenly everything was as clear as day. His mouth opened and closed. His eyes darted between Rin and Berserker. He opened his mouth to speak.

But Rin never found out what he had to say.

At that instant a massive explosion echoed over the city from several blocks away. The shock wave sent rivulets of dust floating down from the buildings and jarred Rin and Shirou from their feet. Berserker howled in frustration.

"I thought I had more time. No!" He bellowed and turned on his heel.

"Wait! Berserker! Shi-Shirou!" Rin called after him as he sprinted away, his body blurring as only as Servants can when moving quickly.

Shirou scrambled into the car and Rin dove in next to him. The moment was lost, Shirou's epiphany buried in the tension of the moment.

"We're goin' after him. This is it." He said. Rin nodded grimly.

He slammed down on the gas pedal.


	33. Chapter 32

Rin was jerked forward against her seat belt when Shirou slammed on the brakes. The car skidded to a stop right before slamming into an overturned police cruiser. The street was ruined, shattered asphalt and slabs of concrete jumbled up by the explosion. There were cars scattered around like toys and sparking electrical wires dancing away from splintered telephone poles. The nearby buildings had been partially demolished, caved outwards by the massive blast from its point of origin.

In stark contrast to the ruin surrounding it the squat building that hid Kotomine's laboratory stood pristine in the center of the blast wave.

Shirou was already on the street and pulling futilely at the door of the police car. It was pinned against a lamp post and jammed shut. A familiar mantle of power began radiating from his form and he smashed his fingers through the windshield and quickly tore the roof off with a backhanded motion. His features hardened as he checked the still figures of the officers.

"Dead." He said grimly.

Sirens blared in the distance and Rin's mind whirled. Even if they won what would happen? The explosion, the underground facility, there was too much to hide from the human authorities this time.

Rin nodded and held out her hand. He took it as they began quickly picking their way across the ruined street towards the building. There was a sudden flash of motion from the roof and Rin felt her eyes drawn upwards. It was only for a moment, a struggling form pushed far enough over to be visible from the street before being drawn back, but it was enough. Rin broke into a sprint towards the door of the building and Shirou easily matched her pace.

"There's someone on the roof. We need to get up there, now!" She said.

"No time for the stairs." He said. He bent even as he ran and swept Rin's legs out from under her, carrying her bridal style.

"Hold on to me!"

She felt a pulse of energy shoot through him and he crouched low. Rin's stomach bottomed out as he jumped, rocketing through the air like a cricket. Even as they landed she felt that same anxiety grip her. How much of his life was he spending on something so simple? They crashed onto a fire escape half way up the building and Shirou set her down with a quick peck on the back of her head.

"Lets's go!" He said over his shoulder, sprinting up the rickety metal fire escape stairs.

Despite her worries, despite her fear, Rin felt ready for anything as they crested the edge of the roof.

The scene that unfolded in front of them was a chaotic mishmash of violence and raw energy. The center of the roof was dominated by a massive piece of machinery invisible from the angle of the street. It had two massive and intricate pylons covered in wires and electronics that arced with electricity. Suspended between them over a large control panel was a slowly rotating set of concentric rings like a spinning gyroscope. They moved within and through each other, changing direction and picking up speed as they orbited.

The most distressing feature of the machine was its occupants. Each pylon was topped by a thick glass dome. Each dome was filled with some viscous liquid and suspended there were the captive forms of Ilya and Sakura. They were strangely dressed, twinned in their disparity. Ilya had been dressed in an intricate, diaphanous dress of flowing white and gold with a striking red stole. Atop her white hair, billowing through the fluid like a halo around her head, a spiky crown reached upwards. The white of the dress complimented her pale skin and milky hair while the red drew the eyes like a beacon. It would have been quite beautiful under different circumstances.

Sakura was a dark counterpoint. Her dress was simple and black, riven with thin red lines like veins forced into tortured symmetry and eerily measured precision. The black tendrils of corruption that Rin had seen when she called on her considerable powers marred her features, creeping upward from her neck line to spider across her cheek and down the backs of her hands. Both girls' faces were partially obscured by oxygen masks and their bodies were covered in electrodes and monitoring equipment that fed down into the pylons that held them.

Kotomine's dark form stood unconcerned, his back turned to the proceedings as he manipulated the control panel at the base of the device. At the sight of him Shirou's power blazed and Rin could feel righteous anger radiating from him like a furious bonfire.

Between them and their target a battle was raging. Berserker stood with his back to them, panting, his shoulders heaving. Blood dripped from some unspecified wound on his body but he ignored it. Across from him, between him and Kotomine stood Alpha. He was as horrific as ever, an amalgamated abomination of science and magic. The expression on the human half of his face was amusement and excitement, as if he saw the entire operation as nothing more than a game, a test of his prowess. In his hand he held an odd weapon like a truncated lance or a sword with a conical blade. Its surface was covered in runes that slithered against each other as three separate sections of the blade rotated slowly in opposite directions. The amount of grail energy that radiated from his body was terrifying. Not only was he an enhanced servant but hundreds of beings as powerful as Shirou were siphoning their life energy directly into him.

The ladder clattered noisily as Rin and Shirou leaped onto the roof. Kotomine and Berserker both turned. The former broke into a massive grin. The latter could only spare a short glance. But Rin saw despair in his eyes when he saw that they had followed him. His shoulders slumped as if in defeat.

"Aaaah. Haha. Welcome, Omega. Tohsaka. Welcome! You're just in time to be privy to a great event. A happening, a becoming. You see..." Kotomine began with every indication of launching into a long winded villainous monologue.

"Shut up!" Berserker snarled. He feinted left and then drove hard right, trying desperately to get around Alpha.

Alpha's amused smile broadened. He moved with breathtaking speed and lazily swung his odd sword at Berserker. There was a blast of primal energy and Berserker was thrown backwards, smashing into the roof near where Shirou and Rin stood. Blood leaked from his nose and mouth as he struggled up to his feet.

Shirou quickly knelt by his side and pulled him up.

"Look, we gotta work together to beat him. Flank him. He can't deal with both of us at once, right? You go left, I'll go..." He said.

"No!" Berserker snarled.

He threw Shirou back and pushed himself unsteadily to his feet.

"If you beat him...beating him isn't worth the cost. Just get her out of here. I'll handle this." He said. His words carried that grim finality that only entered his voice when he was deadly serious. His teeth clenched.

He took a step forward. Alpha frowned slightly. Rin's spirit sank. She knew what was coming.

There was a subtle gathering of grail energy that swirled around Berserker. Rin's lip trembled. Berserker's breath began coming in ragged gasps. His hands clenched spasmodically. His teeth clenched as the first impossibly powerful wave of grail energy washed over him. Rin shook her head helplessly. He was activating his mad enhancement.

This was what it all came down to. This was it, the final battle. A fully powered Berserker, with his glitched noble phantasm that shouldn't be physically possible. A servant reconstructed from his genes to be pure, unadulterated power; Alpha. They faced each other across the small arena that was the roof.

And yet...

Berserker was Shirou. The man that Rin loved. To see him that way, to see him become an animal and worse than an animal. To see the look of bestial, insane fury etched on his features. To see what he was, honorable, kind, relentlessly optimistic, become twisted by rage into a killing machine of ungodly proportions, Rin felt her heart break just a bit at the though.

She didn't know why she did it. It was a panic instinct at the thought of losing him. She knew with her rational mind that Berserker was their only slim hope of prevailing against Alpha.

But she threw out her hands and screamed.

"No! Don't do it!"

There was a sudden lance of pain as her final command seal, the last vestige of control she had as a master, disappeared. Berserker's transformation faltered and he whirled to look at her. What was that in his eyes? Gratitude? Love? Despair?

But he turned back to Alpha with gritted teeth. Her command compelled him to cease, to remain human, to forsake his anger. But he fought it. He fought the command that the woman he loved gave to him in order to save him. He fought it in order to save her.

Too late Rin realized what she had done.

Berserker's transformation continued but it was flawed, incomplete. Her command locked away the vast portion of his power. He would fight on anyway. That's what he did. What Shirou did. They would always fight for what was right no matter who or what stood in their way. But Rin realized with bitter clarity that all she had done was condemn them all. Without his full strength Berserker didn't stand a chance against Archer. With his flawed transformation there was no option but failure.

Alpha's frown righted itself into a sardonic smile as he realized what had happened. From the altar Kotomine's laugh echoed out over the blasted landscape. He cackled with sadistic glee, reveling in the utter and imminent defeat of the only force standing between him and world domination. He turned to the machine and pulled a massive, ominous looking lever.

Rin cried out and collapsed under the sudden assault of power. Grail energy in quantities that she had never seen before or even believed possible began to radiate from the machinery. The power overwhelmed her, threatened to drown her. Between Alpha, Berserker, and the machine the roof was such a hotspot of magical energy that her senses began to blur and fade under the overwhelming onslaught.

In the confinement cells Ilya and Sakura's eyes snapped open. Violent bubbles frothed through the suspension solution and their backs arched in unison, mouths open in wordless screams that could not be heard. A torrent of arcane energy so powerful that the monitoring instruments cracked and exploded flowed from their bodies into the swiftly rotating space contained by the rings. The rings themselves spun faster and faster, blurring into invisibility as they contained the growing kernel of energy.

Rin struggled with her own disbelief as she tried to fathom what was happening. She had detected grail energy before, every servant radiated it like sunlight. But the power that she detected flowing from Ilya was different. More pure. It wasn't just grail energy, filtered and manipulated and poured in the form of a long dead warrior. It was the pure unadulterated energy of the Grail itself. It _was_ the Grail.

She sensed the same energy flowing from Sakura's body. No, it wasn't the same. It was tainted. Twisted. A dark shadow of the white Grail pulled from Ilya's body that matched its power with its own dark intensity. And in the unfathomable mechanisms of that device those two energies were merged. Combined. Feeding off and feeding each other in a hellish torrent of pure power. The Dark Grail and True Grail began to combine into something...else. More potent than the sum of its parts, like a fleck of matter shoved head first into anti matter. More powerful than the Grail, than the Grail and Dark Grail combined. The pure, primal, cosmic power of creation. All at the command of one man.

The horror and magnitude of Kotomine's plan struck Rin so hard that the breath left her body.

In front of her Alpha and Berserker's duel rocked the building. Alpha released blast after blast from his sword and yet Berserker kept attacking. His features weren't twisted in his unfathomable rage but his jaw was clenched like a man who knows he is about to die but has decided to face death on his feet. Their movements were so fast that when their fight spilled into the street it was hardly possible to follow them with the eyes. Everywhere they went a wave of collateral destruction followed.

Berserker seized Alpha by the throat and hurled him through a building. Alpha's counter attack destroyed everything within yards of where he was standing. Berserker roared and tried to grasp Alpha, to break him and tear him apart. Alpha backpedaled out of reach and sent blast after blast from his sword raining on Berserker. They were so powerful that the slightest gesture from either of them sent shock waves through the street. Buildings crumbled and automobiles were tossed like leaves in the wind.

Rin was watching in horrified fascination as the tide slowly turned in Alpha's favor. Even with all his power Berserker simply wasn't strong enough to win. His injuries mounted, and for each new drop of blood that dripped from him Alpha's grin widened just a little bit more. And after he was finished with Berserker it would take only the slightest flick of his wrist to annihilate her and Shirou.

Rin had resigned herself to defeat when she felt a gentle hand at her elbow.

"There's only one thing we can do." Shirou said.

Dear, practical Shirou. Even when defeat was inevitable his only though was how to fight. How to win.

"I'll take Kotomine! You shut that thing down!" He cried and sprinted forward.

Rin followed his lead and ran towards the machine. Shirou dove for Kotomine's throat, his power blazing through his eyes. Kotomine's face broke into a mocking grin that matched Alpha's. He sidestepped with such preternatural quickness that Rin had to check to make sure he wasn't reinforcing himself the way Shirou did. He lazily stepped to the left just far enough to avoid Shirou's attack and twisted as he passed, driving an elbow into Shirou's back.

Shirou's momentum was immediately halted and he slammed downwards into the roof as though he'd had a wrecking ball dropped on his back. The tiles shattered and the wind was knocked out of his body in a whoosh. Kotomine cackled and gave him a kick in the ribs that sent him sliding across the roof.

Shirou gritted his teeth and pushed himself to his feet. His fortification magic flared and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

"I see you haven't learned much." Kotomine said disapprovingly.

He took a short run up, six quick steps and a vicious downward strike. But this time Shirou was ready for him. He danced backwards and caught Kotomine by the wrist. He wrenched him overhead and slammed him down on the roof like he was swinging a sledgehammer. Kotomine bounced away but twisted in midair to land on his feet, supporting himself with one hand on he tiles. His expression had changed to rage.

"I'm not here to quip with you. I'm here to stop you." Shirou said.

"And just how do you plan to do that? Your lover and her pet servant are hopelessly out matched. I have facilities like this one hidden all over the world and an army of your brothers at my disposal. The Grail will be mine in just a few short minutes. But even without the tricks, or allies, or plots, it wouldn't matter. When it comes down to it only one thing matters.

You can't beat me." He said with a grin of malevolent glee.

"I've heard that before. It didn't work out so well for Sigma." Shirou replied.

Kotomine sneered and they closed again in a flurry of blows, blocks, and counters.

Rin ran to the control panel and desperately looked for a way to shut off the magical reaction happening within the swiftly spinning rings. Ilya and Sakura were still spamming and screaming silently as Rin's eyes flicked over a complex set of gauges and dials. She heaved the switch that had started the reaction back into its original position but nothing changed. She hit buttons at random and turned knobs but nothing seemed to help.

She spotted a broken off shard of girder nearby and she scrambled towards it. She raised it above her head and prepared to smash it down on the dark machine when it was blasted out of her hands. She spun and saw Kotomine standing there, his hand drawn back, a long slender sword clutched in his fist. He was preparing to throw but Shirou tackled him from behind.

"Alpha!" He bellowed as they tangled.

"Quit toying with Berserker! Stop the girl!"

A surge of hope shot through Rin. Up until now Kotomine had been haughty. Sure of his victory. But when Rin threatened to smash his machine he panicked. She must be on the right track! If Shirou could keep Kotomine pinned, if Berserker could keep Alpha occupied for just another minute...

She backed up and began to cast, weaving a torrent of destructive ice massive enough to smash the entire contraption.

She was knocked from her feet as a massive explosion rocked the building. Her ears were ringing as she pushed herself up onto her elbows.

Alpha's look of sardonic amusement had disappeared. His sword had blurred into an angry streak of red, the rotating sections spinning like a hurricane. Berserker panted in the center of a crater, forced to one knee by the attack. It was orders of magnitude more powerful than what Alpha had been unleashing.

_He's been holding back. _Rin realized with horror.

Alpha's mouth pressed into a displeased line and he swung again. This time the blast was so powerful that it scorched the sky and leveled every building in the area still standing. And it wasn't a single simple explosion. It was a continuous wave of power, like a nuclear blast trapped at the moment of detonation raging continuously as Alpha bore down on his sword. Rin's eyes brimmed with tears as she watched Berserker struggle. His power surged, he screamed in defiance and agony. His eyes blazed as he fought like a drowning man to survive. But the attack was in its own class, so powerful that Rin was surprised it didn't crack the very earth.

When Alpha raised his hand again there was nothing left of Berserker at all. He had been disintegrated down to his atoms.

Rin had only one chance. She scrambled to her feet and turned towards the machine. She raised her hands and began to conjure.

But Alpha was too fast. Before she could even mouth the words of a chant he had appeared in front of her. Rin only had the time for a short gasp as her eyes widened.

Alpha reached back and almost casually rammed his sword through her heart.

"NO! NOOOOO!" Shirou screamed, the sound inhuman as it tore itself from his throat.

He released his hold on Kotomine and dashed forward, heedless of the danger. Alpha raised his hand to kill him as he passed but Kotomine forestalled him with a shake of his head and a sadistic grin. He fell on Rin's neck and cradled her body, crying heartbroken tears as he tried to coax some sign of life from her. But it was too late. She was already dead, a fist sized hole punched through her chest, her eyes staring glassily towards the sky.

Rin stood over him as he cradled her body, her head bowed. She reached out to touch him but could not. She looked a her own body and...

_She looked at her own body and..._

_She stood over him as he cradled her body..._

Rin's consciousness snapped into a sudden state of awareness. She was standing there un-hurt, watching her own death. She held her hands up in front of her face, half expecting to be able to see through them. She looked around in confusion.

She found herself standing in a great black abyss. Darkness stretched off on all sides of her. Not the close, pressing darkness of a cavern but the open, terrifying blackness of unrestrained infinity. She was looking at her death through a sort of window. No, it was more like a shattered piece of mirror. A crack in reality.

And there was someone with her.

She whirled and her eyes went wide. Caster lay on the ground behind her. His upper body was leaning up against some invisible protrusion. His robes were still soaked with his blood, his body was just as it had been when he had disappeared from the ruins of Ilya's mansion. He was riven with wounds, his blood flowing into the darkness like an endless river and yet frozen in time, suspended at the moment of his death.

Rin's shoulders slumped and she lowered her head in resignation.

"So I'm dead then? Is this hell? Or perhaps something else?" She asked.

Caster shook his head, a serious expression in his partially glazed eyes.

"This was...my final promise. To Ilya. To keep you safe. I...pulled you out of the flow of time before your death." He said with a cough that brought a froth of fresh blood to his lips.

Rin's eyes went as wide as saucers.

"Then this is it? The place outside of time where you exiled yourself!" She said.

Caster nodded.

"I don't understand. When you died...when we thought you died you disappeared. You were coming here, right? To wait for me? Then why do I still see my body lying there?" She asked, turning back towards the window in the world.

"She is you. A version of you. A version that stayed behind. It was the best that I could do, considering." He said, gesturing towards his wounds.

Rin's brow creased in confusion.

"Then I'm not real? I'm...a copy? A shadow?" Rin asked.

"No. No, no, no." Caster shook his head feebly.

"You are as you existed when I pulled you out of the timeline, but a version of you remained. You are _you_. You think as you do, you feel as you do. You were you right up to the point when I brought you here. And you are still you, but from that point onwards she was you as well. What does it matter what your origins are? She took a different path through the timeline. You are her, and she is you, but you are also yourself. Do you see?" He said.

Rin hesitated.

"I don't know. I..." She began, but her breath caught as she turned back to the rift.

The scene was still unfolding in front of her.

Shirou was still slumped over her corpse, tears streaking the grime of combat that smeared his face. Alpha stood at Kotomine's right hand. Kotomine was talking, taunting him.

"...e's dead. Because of _you_, Omega. Everything you touch dies. If she had never met you, if you had left her well enough alone, if you had joined me when you had the chance, she would still be alive. _Everyone _you meet dies. Because you're toxic. You're a disease, an inhuman piece of..."

"Shut up! I'm done with your lies! GO TO HELL!" He bellowed.

He jerked himself backwards before Kotomine or Alpha could react. With his left hand he reached out and jammed his hand into the spinning rings. They crashed to a halt on his hand, neatly severing half his fingers but jamming to a stop on the rest of his arm. He ignored the pain and shot his other hand out, plunging it into the seething mass of raw energy coalescing there.

Time seemed to slow. Or perhaps it did slow under Caster's influence. Power surged through Shirou and his form began to change. The makeup of his body seemed to quiver and jump.

"What's happening?" Rin asked tersely.

"Look closely. Remember what you know about him." Caster replied.

Rin squinted and focused her third eye. She was nearly blinded by the amount of raw power raging over the city. When she realized what was happening she gasped.

"He's summoning a servant!" She said.

Caster nodded.

"But that isn't all. Look closer." He wheezed.

"He's...it's his brand of Magecraft. He can't affect anything except for his own body. That means he can't link to the plane where heroic spirits reside...nor can he summon a servant anywhere except..."

Rin's eyes went wide.

"There's only one place that he could summon a servant from: his own body. And there's only one place that he could summon a servant to: his own body. So he's summoning himself, _into_ himself, as a servant. This is it! This is when he becomes Berserker!" She said in horrified awe.

Since he was summoning from the same place and to the same place the magic began to loop back on itself, cycling and cycling in an infinitely recursive loop fueled by the dual Grail. Everything made sense. Berserker's claims of actually being Shirou, even his glitched mad enhancement repeating infinitely.

Even as he transformed he was chanting.

"What is he saying?" Caster asked, craning his neck feebly.

"I've heard that before. It's something Sigma, Shirou's clone said. It increased his power but it sent him into a mindless killing rage." Rin replied with horror.

"Burst limit override initiated.

Steel take my body. Fire burn my blood.

I have dealt many thousand blows.

I have received many thousand in return.

Heedless of loss, heedless of gain.

Ignoring pain, and despair, and defeat.

Without regret, let rage fuel my power.

This I pray.

Unlimited Rage Works!"

There was a sudden lull like the eye of a hurricane passing directly overhead. And then Shirou's world tore itself apart. Tears rolled down Rin's face as that berserk look, that wave of unbridled hatred and fury descended on his gentle features like a demonic mask. Any semblance of humanity fell away like a cloak. His jaws cracked open and the most unearthly, terrifying sound she had ever heard issued out like the scream of an imploding star.

He dashed forward and his movements were so fast that the air behind him ignited from the friction of his movements. Alpha didn't stand a chance of intercepting him. His first punch nearly liquefied Kotomine. There wasn't enough of him left to hit the ground.

But Shirou's rage was unbridled. He was unable to stop, unable to control himself any longer. Alpha tried to fend off his attacks with a desperation fueled by panic. He launched salvo after salvo of blasts from his spinning sword. His onslaught scorched the heavens and cracked the bedrock of the city. Thousands of screaming citizens died as the two titans battled back and forth. A volcano marked their battle as one of Shirou's strikes cracked the bedrock. Steam billowed out like the mouth of hell as water rushed in. When an innocent got in his way Shirou simply walked through them fast enough to aerosolize their bodies.

A thin rain of blood began to fall over the city.

When Alpha at last succumbed to panic he fled, using every noble phantasm in his arsenal to escape, to slow down his pursuer, to extend his life for just another instant. Shirou followed him so fast that he ignited the air with friction. He had burned away most of the atmosphere by the time they collided again. They beat the mountains into valleys. They redistributed the oceans over the face of the planet as they waded through them. They battered each other with geographical features. When Shirou slammed the moon into Alpha he obliterated a quarter of the planet.

And at last, when Shirou stood in the scattered remains of Alpha's corpse, his rage still burned. He rampaged across the surface of the planet destroying everything in his wake until not even microbial life remained. Every city that he crossed was razed in an instant. Every person on the earth perished in the fires of his vengeance.

And through it all Rin watched, and wept, trapped outside of time with a dying spirit. When she could bear it no longer she turned her face away. And when she could no longer bear being apart from Shirou, even the monster he had become, she turned back.

...

Time lost meaning but there was a moment separated from other moments. After Shirou had destroyed the world her eyes sharpened and she turned back to Caster.

"We have to do something." She said for the thousandth time.

"There's nothing we can do." He replied sadly for the thousandth time.

"No. That can't be true, I won't accept that! You could bring him here. With us. You could pull him out of the timeline and stop this destruction."

"To what purpose? Whatever can be destroyed has been destroyed. Nothing remains to be saved."

Rin paced and scrubbed tears from her cheeks.

"What about before? We're outside of time, right? So we can return to any point in the time line. Take us back to before he became...this. We can stop this from ever happening in the first place!"

Caster shook his head.

"I am too weak. I could take us back but I cannot navigate the flows of time. We might arrive a hundred years before he was born, or a hundred years too late."

"What if you had a beacon? A marker in the time line to aim for?"

Caster considered for a moment.

"That...might be possible." He said hesitantly.

"There was a massive burst of grail energy when he transformed, right? Can you find that and take us back to that moment?"

Caster's eyes lit.

"I can! But Rin, if I cast him out of time this reality will collapse. I cannot maintain it. You, me, we will both perish."

Rin didn't hesitate.

"That doesn't matter. We have to stop this, whatever the cost." She said with determination.

Caster still wavered.

"But even this is not guaranteed. In my weakened state all I can do is target massive sources of grail energy and pull them out of time. I might not arrive at the correct moment. I might pull a different Servant and things would happen in exactly the same way. There's too much that could go wrong." He said.

Rin knelt by him and took his hands in hers.

"It's worth trying. Anything is better than...this." She said, gesturing at the rift.

Caster looked into her eyes for a long moment. At last he nodded.

"Besides. I think...I think I know what happens next." Rin said.

Caster quirked an eyebrow at her but she shook her head.

"Please, just try." She said, a pleading note in her voice.

Caster nodded and leaned back. He closed his eyes.

For a long moment nothing happened. And then imperceptibly the lines of reality began to quaver. There were no walls in the vast emptiness that contained them but if there had been they would be shaking. Caster's brow furrowed in concentration and his knuckles went white as he clenched his fist around Rin's hand. Blood began to flow from his wounds once more and once more Rin could detect the life ebbing from him. The edges of the rift back into reality began to splinter and fold back in on themselves. Rin looked back.

She could see time turning back like a video cassette being rewound. Slowly at first, and then faster and faster. She could see Berserker rampaging back across the landscape, gouts of flame and blasted tracts of land healing themselves as his presence was erased. She watched his titanic battle with Alpha once more, this time in reverse. It would have been comical were not the circumstances so dire.

There was a sound like shattering glass and a rift shot out across the sky of the dark pocket dimension, a skittering finger of white on black like a lightning bolt that did not fade. A chaotic wind sprung up and Rin could feel the ground quaking beneath her.

"What's happening!?" She shouted over the din.

"Reality is...fracturing." Caster said between gritted teeth.

"The space we're in is collapsing?"

"No...not just here...the spell, it's feeding off the grail explosion. If this keeps going...everything will..."

Rin's resolve wavered. On his own Caster could probably cast Shirou adrift in time. But with the full power of the twin grails being siphoned into his time controlling magic there was a very real possibility that he would shatter reality itself. There was just so much grail energy infusing everything in the time line that everything was being boosted to impossible levels.

Rin looked back through the rift as another crack splintered the pocket dimension. They were back on the roof. Time slowed again as she watched events play themselves out in reverse. Shirou screamed. Alpha drawing his weapon out of her body as he stabbed her in reverse. Berserker annihilated. And there, just as he was about to strike, time ground to a halt.

Behind her Rin could feel Caster gathering his energy for one final push, one last heave to cast Berserker out of the time line. In front of her Rin could feel the membrane between herself and reality stretch like a bubble about to burst. The thinnest touch would shatter it.

And yet...

Rin's mind opened up with sudden realization. She knew exactly what would happen, exactly what she had to do.

"No!" Caster cried as he sensed as sudden burst of energy from Rin.

But there was nothing he could do.

She reached out into the fabric of reality. As soon as the bubble was breached there was the sound of a thousand mirrors shattering into dust. Reality tore itself apart. But in that split second before the pocket dimension destroyed itself, Caster, and Rin she had time for one single spell.

She reached out with the thinnest, barest thread of prana, a thread that bolstered and reinforced the grail energy flowing like a waterfall. She linked Alpha, Berserker and the Grail itself, reinforcing the bond that they all shared. It was the only way to guarantee that Caster's spell would hit the correct target. Caster would throw Berserker out of time, and that would pull Alpha and the Grail itself with it. It was the only way. Rin knew that nobody could control that much power responsibly. And so she would use Caster's spell to seal it away in a realm outside of time.

But she never found out if her final trick would work. She didn't know what would happen to the Grail, or Alpha, or her other self, or Berserker. But she knew what would happen to Shirou. She knew because she had already seen it. She had been living it. He would be cast out of time, yes. But the exile would not last for more than an instant. He would be pulled out of the timeline and drift backwards until he was drawn back to the single largest burst of Grail energy before his dark transformation.

The night that Rin summoned Berserker. It seemed lifetimes ago, but Rin would summon the being that was now Shirou to herself. He would become Berserker, her protector, her champion. And events would continue like a wheel.

...

Reality cracked and split apart. It fell away like leaves. Rin felt her consciousness standing on a great pinnacle, the highest mountain peak possible. All around her she saw time flowing away like rivers, collecting in pools of delicious possibility. As if through a series of mirrors Rin looked through those pools. She saw all the people of the world, living and dying, loving, killing, struggling, and triumphing. She saw a sea of infinite possibilities stretching in front of her, what might have been.

She saw Shirou as a young boy, leaping again and again to vault a high bar under a sinking afternoon sun.

She saw him standing beside a victorious Kotomine, a dark enforcer that spread his word to every corner of the earth.

She saw him perish in a fire as a child.

She saw him grow and marry and raise a family, normal and happy and completely unaware of his potential.

She saw him in a passionate embrace with a young woman with golden hair and gleaming armor.

She saw herself standing by his side. She saw every imaginable configuration, saw a dozen different iterations of their life together. She saw them as friends, as enemies, as rivals, as lovers. She saw fights and adventures, boredom and excitement. She saw children and grandchildren and, at last, happiness.

She touched her cheek and felt tears there. As reality decayed she smiled, and closed her eyes, and let infinity swallow her.


	34. Chapter 33

A sudden wave of disorientation washed over Rin. She felt as if she were looking at herself in a hall of mirrors, her reflections staring at each other and marching into infinity. She felt the coarse tar of the roof beneath her but she also felt herself adrift in a vast and endless void. She watched herself watching herself.

Around her chaotic battle raged. Below in the street Berserker and Alpha clashed like twin hurricanes of raw power. In front of her Shirou and Kotomine struggled against each other. A sudden and frighteningly intense wave of deja vu washed over her. She felt with a grim clarity that she knew what was about to happen. Shirou and Kotomine would fight. She would dash towards the console. Kotomine would shout...

"Alpha! Quit toying with Berserker!"

His words snapped her out of a momentary reverie. Her sense of foreboding suddenly escalated into an inexplicable terror. She whirled and saw Alpha raise his odd sword to strike one final blow.

And then time shattered around her. Alpha stood suspended in midair, his arm poised in a sweeping down stroke. Shirou was frozen, his hands scrabbling at Kotomine's. Arcing bolts of power were caught in freeze frame.

Slowly at first, but mounting to a tsunami force a wave of temporal and grail energy began to sweep over the battlefield. It was focused on a single point, a rift that was rapidly drawing all the available magical energy into it. Rin felt as if her soul were being pried away from her as all the mana in her body was forcibly ripped away and drained into the vortex. She could see without seeing the hideously powerful dual Grail. Its immense power only made it a denser target, drawn like a magnet into the rift. She couldn't believe that such an unlimited source of power could simply be drained away through a crack in reality, but she watched with her own eyes as it was siphoned away.

There were changes elsewhere too. Alpha's form was caught in the temporal eddies and sucked away like a bad dream. Rin expected some curse, some final struggle, some final attempt at vengeance. But the stream was too powerful, and the flow of time was not working correctly, and all he could do was howl in wordless rage as he spiraled downwards into the abyss.

Rin's frantic gaze immediately turned to Berzerker. The same process was taking place but with a subtle difference. Because he had a body and existed physically in the realm of the living the vortex had a different effect on him. Like it had with Rin it pulled all vestiges of mana from his body. But more than that, it pulled away all evidence of the Grail. It stripped away from him the nature of a Servant. Rin felt a shooting pain in her arm as her command seals became dull and inert. When Berserker fell to his knees he was a Servant no longer, he was simply human.

Hope and confusion warred in her mind. What was happening? Had Kotomine's experiment backfired? Had the raw Grail energy cracked the wall between realms and sucked itself out of existence? That was the only explanation she could think of. Or was it something else? Some hidden machination by parties unknown? The sense of deja vu hit Rin again and she felt as if she were looking down into the magical rift, staring into an endless abyss. She though for an instant that she saw herself reflected there, her cheeks streaked with tears of despair and joy, her face the picture of sorrow and relief and acceptance.

Whatever the cause, whatever the reason, Rin could feel the most freeing sense of calm fall over her. Whether by her own actions or by the ineffable hand of fate Kotomine had been stopped. Everything was going to be okay.

That calm lasted for half an instant.

The sucking vortex of magical power shifted its focus. The temporal tide began to pull once more. This time it wasn't focused on the Grail, or the dueling servants, or even the ambient mana in the area. It was focused on...

"Shirou!" Rin screamed as she realized what was happening.

She struggled forward like a madwoman, reaching with all her might to take his hand. He tried to break free of the tendrils of power sucking him downward. He took a step towards her. And then another. Hope surged in Rin's breast and she reached out. Their fingers hoovered inches apart. If she could just touch him, just hold him, even if it was one last time...

But the temporal pull was too strong. Shirou was ripped from his feet and jerked backwards into the spiraling abyss. Rin screamed her soul out as she tried to reach him, unable to accept what was happening. But Shirou's face held an expression of peace. He knew that the Grail was gone, that Alpha was defeated and that the world was safe. His eyes held regret and sorrow, but the look on his face wasn't anger or denial or fear. It looked like redemption.

And then, like some horrific nightmare ripped away by the light of day, it was over.

Debris picked up by the vortex began crashing back down. Rin fell to her knees. She felt empty inside, like a piece of her had been cauterized. Shirou was gone, ripped through an inexplicable portal in the fabric of reality. Yes, the world was safe. Yes, Kotomine had been defeated. But without him, without Shirou it felt like a meaningless victory.

Tears rolled down her cheeks making tracks in the ash and grime plastered there. She was too numb to think, too numb to move. She stared uncomprehendingly ahead of her, heedless of the dark figure pushing himself to his feet.

"No...NO!" Kotomine raged. He dashed towards his broken device and began punching at the control panel, frantically pulling levers and turning dials.

"Everything was perfect. Perfect! What went wrong? I accounted for _every_ possibility! There's no way that...You! You did this!" A crazed fury danced in his eyes as he whirled on Rin.

She couldn't summon the will power to rise as he rounded on her. Although her magic had been depleted and she couldn't see him with her third eye she knew that no magical attack was coming. His magic had been depleted as well. No, her death would be a purely physical affair.

Evidently Kotomine retained his massive strength even without his mana. He bent and hoisted a shattered girder as he advanced, dragging the heavy bludgeon behind him as he bore down on Rin. She watched him dully as he walked towards her and stared with glassy eyes as he raised it high above his head. She watched it descend towards her in slow motion, a lazy arc that would terminate in her skull.

Berserker caught it just before it dashed her skull out.

He leaped forwards from behind her and seized Kotomine by the wrist, wrenching it sideways to break his grip and then hurling him backwards. Kotomine's face filled with new rage and he advanced like a man possessed.

"It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter! I'll send you both to hell!" He roared.

Berserker shut him up with a massive punch to the face.

"Don't cuss in front of a lady." He said through gritted teeth.

Their fight was not a glorious duel. It wasn't the high speed impact of two magically enhanced behemoths. It was the deadly simple, horrifically brutal, terrifyingly silent battle of two men with no resources, no tricks, and no alternatives. They grappled and gouged, ripped and tore at each other. The only sound was panting and grunts of exertion punctuated by the wet, meaty packing sounds of fist impacting with flesh. Blood was ground through grime into frothy smears. Improvised weapons changed hands and went clattering across the rooftop. Skull was bashed against stone again and again until the tide turned.

When it was all over Berserker lifted his fingers away from Kotomine's throat and let the corpse fall back onto the roof with a dull thud. His face was a bruised, bloodied mask of relief. His bone showed through his knuckles where the skin had been scrapped off. Blood oozed from too many places to count. He was barely able to stay on his feet.

He approached Rin and wavered before her on the verge of collapse before he was able to master himself. He held out his hand and for the first time her eyes swung into focus, traveling up his arm to his face. His eyes were tired, so tired. His mouth hung in the haggard grimace of a man who is exhausted to his very soul. But as she watched the edges of his mouth twitched, and then pulled themselves into a grin so familiar that it nearly broke her heart all over again.

"C'mon Rin." He said.

"Let's go home."

…

The following weeks passed in a blur. Thankfully a Tohsaka family recovery team had arrived at the site of the battle before the civilian police did, or the agents of any of the other magical families. Ilya regained consciousness in the family hospital and proved so big a handful that she was released the following day. Sakura was still unconscious and the Tohsaka's expert magical theorists were still puzzling out what had been done to her, both by Kotomine and by the Matou family.

Berserker was released from the hospital as well, or rather he simply walked out once he had been stitched and bandaged and refused any attempt at a medical followup. Rin had surreptitiously asked her doctors to try and determine what had happened to him and what the lingering effects of the Grail might be. She also nervously asked them to try and determine how much lifespan he had left. On all counts they found no answers.

Being around him was difficult. He was the perfect mirror of Shirou. Every word, every action, his appearance and his voice, the way that he held his head when he listened to her, everything reminded her of Shirou so sharply that she felt the pain in the base of her soul. Every hour of every day she missed him more and more. It seemed so unfair. So arbitrary that he would be taken from her.

She knew that it wasn't easy for Berserker either. He never said a word, never pushed her or made her feel uncomfortable, but she could see in his eyes that his feelings for her hadn't changed. She could also tell that his self image had changed. He didn't think of himself as Berserker, the servant. He thought of himself as Shirou now. And each time she called him Berserker it cut him a little bit deeper.

They had spoken at length after the war, trying to puzzle out what had happened. Berserker's memories of being Shirou stopped the instant he was sucked into the magical vortex and started again the moment he was summed by Rin on the first day. For him no time had passed. He remembered everything he had done as Berserker before his memory returned and he remembered watching Rin and his younger self together.

After the battle tension had stretched between them like an intangible wall until things came to a head late one night. She was helping him with something inconsequential, repairing the broken motorcycle in Ilya's garage. They were trying to work through what had happened during the war when Rin offhandedly called him Berserker. His eyes fell and Rin took his face in her hands.

"Look, would you just _talk _to me?" She urged.

"We've been dancing around this for days. I...I need to know. Are you him? Are you Shirou?" She asked, her heart in her throat.

Berserker/Shirou's gaze lingered on hers for a long moment and then dropped.

"I don't know. For me I am Shirou. I never stopped being Shirou, even when I lost my memory. To me everything is the same, I've just lived the past couple of weeks twice through, once as...him and once as me. My memories, my feelings for you, nothing has changed. But for you, for you it might be different. I don't know. I know you were in love with him and I know that you don't think of me as him. I just...I wish...I don't know. There aren't any easy answers." He said, letting the conversation trail off into silence.

She began calling him Shirou after that. But still the unease remained. Rin felt trapped by her feelings. She knew she wasn't thinking clearly, her emotions twisted by grief. She felt that she couldn't take it any more, that something would have to give. And then, all at once, everything changed.

...

It was a grey pre-dawn morning when Rin was awoken by a deep rumbling sound. She blinked groggily as she tried to place it. It sounded like..._the motorcycle!_

In a flash she jumped out of bed and pulled on her clothes. In the hallway she bumped into Ilya. They stared at each other frantically and rushed down the stairs and out into the dim morning.

Shirou was backing out of the driveway. He was wearing what Rin had come to think of as his trademark outfit, simple jeans and a long sleeved shirt with light blue sleeves. His eyes were filled with sadness and something else, something unreadable as he looked at them.

Ilya threw herself forward, blinking back tears as she threw her self into Shirou's arms.

"You...you...you were gonna leave without saying good buh-buh-bye!" She bawled, burying her face in his chest.

He chuckled and patted the back of her head affectionately.

"I thought it'd be easier this way." He said with a sad smile.

"'Guess I didn't get away after all, huh?"

Ilya pulled back and scrubbed the sleeve of her pajamas across her face, sniffling.

"Like we'd let you go without a proper farewell. Where will you go?" She asked.

"I don't know. Kotomine's operation is still out there. He has more bases, more clones of me waiting to be awakened. I'll track them down and put a stop to it for good. For now though I'll just...go." He said, his eyes distant.

"You could...you could stay." Ilya said shyly.

Shirou smiled sadly and planted a kiss on her forehead. His eyes met Rin's for a moment and then slid away.

"No. I can't. I have work to do, and I can't set my responsibilities aside." He said, resolution firm in his voice.

Ilya took a step back and Shirou revved the engine again. Rin searched for something, anything that she could say. Even though things between them were awkward, even though Rin didn't know where their relationship stood, even though she didn't know her own feelings, she only knew one thing. A horrible weight settled in her chest like the jerking, falling feeling when you reach the top of the stairs and take one more step.

Shirou held her gaze again, this time for much longer. He opened his mouth as if to speak. Rin's heart jumped. But he closed his mouth again and faced forward. The motorcycle roared to life underneath him.

Rin couldn't breath as she watched him ride out of her life.


	35. Epilogue

Ilya reached up and smacked the back of Rin's head as hard as she could.

Rin whirled on her, eyes wide, and was about to launch an angry retort when Ilya bore down on her. Despite her lesser height she seemed to tower.

"Rin, what are you doing?" She demanded, hands on her hips.

"Wha...I don't..." Rin stammered but Ilya pressed on.

"_What_ are you _DOING_?" She said, her voice filled with a kind of exasperated anger.

Rin backpedaled in shock.

"I don't know what you..." She said, still stammering.

"You were just gonna let him ride away? You are _such an idiot!_" Ilya said, nearly shouting.

Rin's eyes went wide and she looked after Shirou's retreating back.

"Look, are you in love with him or not?" Ilya said in the same exasperated tone with the air of explaining herself to a child.

Rin felt her heart flip flop.

"I...I'm not...I..." She continued to sputter.

But then, as if by magic, she felt the most wonderful sense of surety flow through her. She felt as sure as she had that day in the diner when she had first realized it. Her shoulders squared. Her eyes became level.

"Yes." She said.

Ilya grinned at her and shook her head.

"Then what are you doing?" She asked again, smiling.

Rin beamed. She dashed off as fast as she could but stopped herself, dashed back, caught Ilya up in a bear hug and kissed her on the cheek.

"Thank you." She said.

Ilya nodded and waved her off urgently.

Rin ran like she had never run before. Wind blew through her hair and lifted her cloths as she sprinted after Shirou. He was almost gone, just about to turn the corner when...

Rin felt Ilya reach past her with a tendril of magic and tweak Shirou's ear. He skidded to a halt in alarm and looked around. He turned in his seat just as Rin barreled into him. She threw herself into his arms and showered his face with kisses. He returned them with a fervent, earnest desire that left her breathless after they broke free. For the longest moment they simply sat there, grinning and staring into each others eyes. Then Rin turned Shirou around and settled herself behind him. Her arms circled his waist and she leaned forwards, resting her head against his back.

"Where are we going?" She asked, eyes closed.

Shirou grinned. His eyes lit as they went to the horizon. The sun was just peaking, sending the first rays of morning streaming across the street.

"I don't know." He said happily, his voice filed with as much confidence and surety as it had ever held.

He pressed the throttle and Rin held tight. They rode into the sunrise, the first warm rays of a beautiful day reaching out to greet them.


End file.
